Is Gemini free? Yes, and paid plans start at $4.99 a month

Yes, Gemini is free. As of October 27, 2026, Google's subscriptions page lists a Free plan at $0 a month with a Google Account. It covers the Gemini app with the Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems. Paid plans start at $4.99 a month and buy higher usage limits and more capable models.

The catch with free is the limits. Google doesn't publish a fixed number of prompts. It uses compute-based limits that change, and says users without a plan may be limited first when capacity is tight.

What the free Gemini plan includes

According to Google's pricing page, as of October 27, 2026, the Free plan gives you:

• The Gemini app with the Flash-Lite model.
• Image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems.
• Limited access to Nano Banana Pro in Google Flow, Google's AI creative studio.
• Gemini Notebook access.
• 15 GB of storage shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos.

Google's release notes add two more free items. Gemini 3.6 Flash became available to all Gemini app users worldwide on July 21, 2026, through the model dropdown. The Gemini app for Mac is free on macOS 15 and later, worldwide, as of April 15, 2026.

Gemini free usage limits

The Gemini Apps help page describes the limits in relative terms, not in prompt counts. As of October 27, 2026:

• Limits refresh every 5 hours, until you hit a weekly limit.
• Without a plan, the context window is 32,000 tokens. A context window is how much text the model can keep in view at once.
• Google says limits may change without notice.
• Google says AI credits can extend limits on the Free plan, according to the pricing page.

How much paid Gemini plans cost

Prices below are in US dollars per month, as shown on Google's pricing page on October 27, 2026 with the United States selected.

Google also lists a $199.99 Ultra tier with 20 times the usage of AI Pro. Plus adds the Flash model, video generation and Daily Brief. Pro adds Gemini 4 Argon, the Pro model, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, and a YouTube Premium Lite plan. Ultra adds the highest limits and features such as Project Genie.

Google says to cancel anytime, with no refunds for partial billing periods except where the law requires. Google AI plans are for users 18 and older.

Is Gemini free for students

Often, yes, for a year. Google's release notes say that on August 19, 2026, eligible college students could get one year of Google AI Pro in the US, or Google AI Plus in more than 140 countries, at no cost. The offer can be redeemed until December 31, 2026. It then renews at the standard price unless you cancel.

Is the Gemini API free

For developers, Google AI Studio has a free tier with limited access to certain models and the Gemini Developer API. Google says content on the free tier is used to improve its products. The paid tier adds higher rate limits, context caching and the Batch API. Google Antigravity, its agent coding tool, is also free to start, with basic weekly rate limits.

What we don't know

Google doesn't say how many prompts the free plan allows in a day or a week. The pricing page also says "Includes Gemini 4 Argon" under Google AI Plus, but Plus's feature list doesn't name Argon, so we can't confirm whether Plus includes it. Per the October 13, 2026 release notes, Gemini 4 Argon is rolling out to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.