Gemini pricing got a full reshuffle in 2026: a new $7.99 entry plan, a restructured Ultra tier that dropped from $249.99 to a $99.99-$200 range, and a Gemini API lineup where the cheapest capable model costs a tenth of a dollar per million input tokens. This guide lays out all of it – the Google AI consumer plans, the per-model API rates, and how the numbers stack up against ChatGPT and Claude – with prices verified in July 2026.
How Gemini pricing works: three separate bills
- Google AI plans – consumer subscriptions ($0 to $200/month) covering the Gemini app, NotebookLM, storage, and bundled extras.
- Gemini API – per-token developer pricing, billed by model and usage.
- Workspace with Gemini – business plans where Gemini features ride along with Google Workspace seats.
Most confusion comes from mixing these up: paying for AI Pro does not give you API credits, and API spending does not raise your app limits. The same separation applies at OpenAI and Anthropic – our ChatGPT pricing guide and Claude pricing guide break down their versions of it.
Google AI plans in 2026
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Gemini app and web with daily limits |
| Google AI Plus | $7.99/month | 2x higher limits, 400 GB storage, Pro model access |
| Google AI Pro | $19.99/month | 4x limits, 5 TB, expanded NotebookLM, YouTube Premium Lite (select regions) |
| Google AI Ultra | $99.99/month | About 5x Pro limits, entry Ultra tier added at I/O 2026 |
| Google AI Ultra (top) | $200/month | Up to 20x Pro limits, 20 TB+, YouTube Premium, early access |
The two 2026 changes worth knowing: the $7.99 AI Plus plan rolled out to all markets including the US in January, giving Google the cheapest paid tier among the big three AI providers, and the Ultra restructure at I/O 2026 replaced the single $249.99 plan with the $99.99 and $200 pair.
Gemini API pricing: token rates by model
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.1 Pro (≤200K context) | $2.00 | $12.00 | Flagship; preview pricing |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro (>200K context) | $4.00 | $18.00 | Long-context premium |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | $1.50 | $9.00 | Newest Flash tier |
| Gemini 3 Flash | $0.50 | $3.00 | $1.00 input for audio |
| Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | $0.25 | $1.50 | Budget tier |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | $0.10 | $0.40 | Cheapest current model |
Three cost levers sit on top of the sticker rates: batch processing halves every rate for non-urgent workloads, context caching serves repeated input at $0.15 per million tokens (plus storage), and the API free tier lets developers prototype at zero cost – with the caveat that free-tier prompts may be used to improve Google’s products, which matters for anything confidential.
Gemini vs ChatGPT vs Claude on price
| Gemini / Google AI | ChatGPT / OpenAI | Claude / Anthropic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | $7.99 (AI Plus) | $8 (Go, select markets) | $20 (Pro) |
| Standard plan | $19.99 (AI Pro) | $20 (Plus) | $20 (Pro) |
| Top individual plan | $200 (Ultra) | $200 (Pro) | $200 (Max 20x) |
| Flagship API (in/out per 1M) | $2 / $12 (3.1 Pro) | $5 / $30 (GPT-5.6 Sol preview) | $5 / $25 (Opus 4.8) |
| Budget API model | $0.10 / $0.40 (2.5 Flash-Lite) | $1 / $6 (GPT-5.6 Luna preview) | $1 / $5 (Haiku 4.5) |
The pattern: the three providers have converged almost exactly at the subscription level – $20 standard, $200 top tier – so the plan price is no longer the deciding factor. The real differences are on the API, where Gemini undercuts on both ends, and in the bundles: only Google throws in terabytes of storage and YouTube Premium with its AI plans.
Which Gemini plan should you choose?
- Casual use: stay free – the daily limits are workable for occasional questions.
- Regular use on a budget: AI Plus at $7.99 is the best value paid AI subscription on the market right now.
- Daily work use: AI Pro at $19.99, especially if you already live in Google’s ecosystem – the 5 TB of storage alone compares to a $9.99 Google One plan.
- Heavy generative work: Ultra $99.99 first; jump to $200 only if you hit its limits.
- Developers: API billing, starting on the free tier and moving to Flash models before paying Pro-tier rates.
Our take
Google is competing on price at the edges and on bundle in the middle. The $7.99 plan is the aggressive move nobody else has matched, and the API’s Flash-Lite tiers are the cheapest usable models from any major provider. The honest caveat is model churn: Gemini pricing changes more often than the competition’s – the Ultra tier alone was restructured twice in a year – so treat any Gemini cost planning as a quarterly review, not a one-time decision. For what changed most recently across the model landscape, our Claude updates hub and ChatGPT updates hub track the moves.
How much does Gemini cost per month?
Gemini itself is free with daily usage limits. Paid Google AI plans start at $7.99 a month (AI Plus, 2x limits), with AI Pro at $19.99 (4x limits plus NotebookLM and 5 TB storage) and AI Ultra from $99.99 to $200 a month for up to 20x Pro limits. Developers pay separately per token on the Gemini API.
Is Gemini free or does it cost money?
There is a genuinely usable free tier: the Gemini app and web access are free with daily limits, and the Gemini API also has a free tier for developers (with lower rate limits, and prompts may be used to improve Google’s products). Paying removes limits and unlocks the strongest models and features.
Is Google Gemini cheaper than ChatGPT?
At the subscription level they are nearly identical – Google AI Pro is $19.99 versus ChatGPT Plus at $20 – but Google’s $7.99 AI Plus tier undercuts anything OpenAI offers. On the API, Gemini 3.1 Pro at $2/$12 per million tokens is cheaper than OpenAI’s comparable tiers, and Gemini’s Flash models are among the cheapest capable models on the market.
Is Gemini cheaper than Claude?
Broadly comparable at the top, cheaper at the bottom. Gemini 3.1 Pro ($2/$12 per million tokens) sits close to Claude Sonnet 5 ($2/$10 at its introductory rate, then $3/$15), while Claude’s Opus tier costs more ($5/$25). At the budget end, Gemini’s Flash-Lite models undercut everything in Claude’s lineup. Subscriptions are level: both anchor at $20 a month.
What is the most expensive Gemini subscription?
Google AI Ultra at $200 a month – down from $249.99 after Google’s 2026 I/O restructuring, which also added a $99.99 entry Ultra tier. The $200 plan carries up to 20x the usage limits of AI Pro, 20 TB or more of storage, YouTube Premium, and early access to new models and features.
What is the difference between Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra?
Mostly usage headroom and bundled extras. Plus ($7.99) doubles free-tier limits with 400 GB storage. Pro ($19.99) has 4x limits, 5 TB, expanded NotebookLM, and YouTube Premium Lite in some regions. Ultra ($99.99-$200) scales to 20x Pro limits with 20 TB+ and early access to Google’s newest AI features.
How much does the Gemini API cost?
It is per-token: Gemini 3.1 Pro costs $2 input / $12 output per million tokens under 200K context ($4/$18 above), Gemini 3.5 Flash is $1.50/$9, Gemini 3 Flash is $0.50/$3, and the Flash-Lite tiers run as low as $0.10/$0.40. Batch processing halves all of these, and context caching cuts repeated input costs further.
Does Gemini Advanced still exist?
The Gemini Advanced branding was folded into the Google AI plans – what used to be Gemini Advanced is now effectively the Google AI Pro plan at $19.99 a month, which includes access to the strongest Gemini models plus the wider bundle of storage, NotebookLM, and Workspace AI features.
