Gemini

10:32 Gemini is Google's AI assistant and the name of the models behind it; the Gemini app is free, and the paid Google AI plans in the US are Plus at $4.99 a month, Pro at $19.99 and Ultra from $99.99, with a $199.99 tier, as of Nov 6, 2026. Pro and Ultra include Gemini 4 Argon, Google's model released to subscribers on Oct 13, 2026, and Google said on Oct 28, 2026 that the Gemini app has more than 1 billion monthly users.

13:27 Gemini is the best value if you already use Gmail, Docs, Android or Google storage: the same plan pays for 5 TB of space, Gemini inside Google's apps, and image, video and music tools. Google's models also lead LMArena's text leaderboard. For coding agents, Claude ranks higher on the coding leaderboards, and ChatGPT gives free users unlimited everyday text chats. The Best AI Chatbot guide compares them task by task.

Quick facts

Is Gemini free?

Yes. The free Gemini app includes image creation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and Gems, with 15 GB of Google storage, on Google's lighter Flash models. Since May 2026, limits are based on the compute you use and refresh every five hours until a weekly cap; when you run out on the biggest models, Gemini switches to smaller ones. Gemini 4 Argon is not on the free plan.

Plans and prices

US prices from 9to5Google's reports of Google's changes; plan contents from Google's plan comparison, read Nov 6, 2026. Google cut the top Ultra tier from $249.99 to $199.99 and added the $99.99 tier at I/O on May 19, 2026, and cut AI Plus from $7.99 to $4.99 in Jun 2026. Every paid plan can be shared with up to five other people. For businesses, Gemini Enterprise starts at $21 a user a month.

Models

Gemini 4 Argon became available on Oct 13, 2026 to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Search, and to developers through the API. Google says it answers more directly, with less hedging, and is much better at coding. Gemini 4 Carbon, announced on Oct 28, 2026, went first to selected cybersecurity defenders, with no date for wider access; it already tops LMArena Text and the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (60, read Nov 6, 2026). Lower plans use Gemini 3.x Flash and Pro models.

Features

Deep Research. Gemini searches and reads hundreds of sites to write a cited report in minutes; every plan has it, with higher limits as you pay more.

Gemini Live. Spoken, back-and-forth conversations with Gemini, included on every plan.

Canvas and Gems. Canvas is a side space for drafting documents and code; Gems are saved custom versions of Gemini for a task.

0:00 Images, video and music. Image editing uses Google's Nano Banana models (Nano Banana Pro on paid plans), video uses Gemini Omni Flash from the Plus plan up, and music uses Lyria 3.5, per Google's plan comparison. Google Flow, its filmmaking tool, runs on monthly credits; see Google Flow.

0:42 Agents. Gemini tasks (Pro and Ultra) plans steps and browses for you in the background. Gemini Spark, a cloud agent that runs around the clock and asks before sending email or spending money, was announced on May 19, 2026 for Ultra subscribers in the US. In Chrome, Gemini can browse on its own for Pro and Ultra users in the US and India; see Gemini in Chrome.

Google apps and Android. Pro and Ultra put Gemini into Gmail, Docs and Sheets, and Plus and up get Daily Brief, a morning digest from Gmail, Calendar and Tasks, in the US. Developers get Google Antigravity access with higher limits on Pro and Ultra.

Gemini vs the alternatives

ChatGPT has the larger audience by OpenAI's count (more than 1.2 billion weekly users, Oct 7, 2026) and unlimited everyday text chats on its free plan; its $20 Plus costs the same as Google AI Pro but includes no storage.

Claude is stronger for coding: Claude Opus 5.5 is first on LMArena WebDev (Oct 27, 2026) and Terminal-Bench 4.0 (read Nov 6, 2026), where no Gemini 4 model was listed.

Microsoft Copilot fits people whose files live in Word, Excel and OneDrive rather than Google Drive.

NotebookLM is Google's own better tool for studying a fixed set of your documents.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini free? Yes. The Gemini app is free with Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems and image creation, on Google's Flash models with limits that refresh every five hours, as of Nov 6, 2026.

How much is Google AI Pro? Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month in the US, as of Nov 6, 2026. It includes Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, 1,000 Flow credits and 5 TB of storage.

How much is Google AI Ultra? Google AI Ultra costs $99.99 a month for 5 times Pro's Gemini limits, or $199.99 a month for 20 times Pro's limits and Project Genie, as of Nov 6, 2026.

What happened to Gemini Advanced? Gemini Advanced was Google's old name for the paid tier; the plans are now Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra.

What is the newest Gemini model? Gemini 4 Argon is the newest Gemini model most subscribers can use, since Oct 13, 2026. Gemini 4 Carbon, announced Oct 28, 2026, is limited to selected cybersecurity partners so far.

Sources

• Gemini 4 Argon is now available in the Gemini app, Google, Oct 13, 2026
• Q3 2026 earnings call: Remarks from our CEO, Google, Oct 28, 2026
• Google AI plans, Google One, read Nov 6, 2026
• Gemini subscriptions, Google, read Nov 6, 2026
• Bard becomes Gemini, Google, Feb 8, 2024
• Gemini app now has compute-based usage limits as AI Ultra now starts at $100, 9to5Google, May 19, 2026
• Gemini app rolling out 'Neural Expressive' redesign, 3.5 Flash, 24/7 Spark agent, and Daily Brief, 9to5Google, May 19, 2026
• Google AI Plus gets price drop to $4.99 and storage bump, 9to5Google, Jun 8, 2026
• Google Meet's Gemini-powered 'Take notes for me' comes to Google AI Pro, Ultra, 9to5Google, Jun 29, 2026
• Google launches Gemini 4 Carbon AI model with cybersecurity focus, Khaleej Times, Oct 2026
• Text leaderboard and WebDev leaderboard, LMArena, read Nov 6, 2026
• Model leaderboard, Artificial Analysis, read Nov 6, 2026
• Terminal-Bench 4.0 leaderboard, Terminal-Bench, read Nov 6, 2026
• GPT-6 and Intelligent UI for everyone, OpenAI, Oct 7, 2026
• Gemini Has A New AI Super App | Here’s How To Master It, Paul J Lipsky, Oct 18, 2026 (video)
• What is Gemini Omni?, Google, May 19, 2026 (video)