Is Genie 4 free? Not yet: waitlist now, Ultra plans from $99.99

No, Genie 4 is not free, and nobody can buy it yet. Google DeepMind announced it on October 27, 2026 as a research preview for trusted testers. It says Genie 4 is coming to Google AI Ultra subscribers through Project Genie, and to early access partners of the Gemini API and Google AI Studio. A waitlist is open. DeepMind has published no price for Genie 4 itself.

That leaves two practical questions: what the cheapest way in is likely to cost, and what you can do today. Our earlier report on the announcement covers what the model does.

Is Genie 4 free?

Not at launch. The DeepMind post describes a limited preview and names two routes: Project Genie for Google AI Ultra subscribers, and early access through the Gemini API and Google AI Studio for partners. It gives no usage limits, no price for API access and no general release date. Until it does, any figure for "Genie 4 cost" is a guess.

Genie 4 waitlist

DeepMind says a waitlist is available through a form linked in its announcement. The post does not say how many people will be let in, in what order, or when. Joining the list is the only route open to someone who isn't a trusted tester or a partner. The post doesn't say whether the waitlist costs anything beyond signing up.

What Google AI Ultra costs

Project Genie, the app Genie 4 is headed for, has been tied to Google AI Ultra. Google's subscriptions page lists these monthly prices, as of October 28, 2026:

The page says Project Genie is "only available with a Google AI Ultra plan" and lists more than 140 countries. It describes the $199.99 tier as offering 20 times the usage limits of Pro. Google's plans page says Plus and Pro do not include Project Genie.

One thing is unclear. Engadget reported on May 19, when Google cut Ultra's price, that Project Genie access required the $200 option and not the $100 plan. Google's own pages we read do not say which Ultra tier will get Genie 4. Check the plan details before you pay.

What you can use today

Genie 4 is not in anyone's hands yet outside the testers. Project Genie is the existing product, and it needs an Ultra subscription and a user aged 18 or older. Google's Project Genie page says it is available to Ultra subscribers. It gives no price of its own.

What we don't know

• Whether Genie 4 will cost extra on top of an Ultra subscription.
• Which Ultra tier gets it.
• What the Gemini API or Google AI Studio will charge.
• When the preview opens to more people.
• Session length and output resolution.

DeepMind also lists open problems: visual details and object permanence can drift over long sessions or after many edits, and physical interactions, audio accuracy and readable text remain hard. Everything above about the model's quality is DeepMind's own account.

Watch the DeepMind announcement and Google's subscriptions page. If the price of Genie 4 changes anything, one of them will say so first.