Tokens on the free tier cost nothing, and Google may use that content to improve its products. The Gemini API gives developers access to Google's Gemini models and the open Gemma 4 family, with a Free plan that charges nothing for input and output tokens on a subset of models. The pricing page lists Gemini 3.8 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, Gemini 3 Flash Preview, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini Embedding 2 and Gemma 4 as free of charge on the free tier, while Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Gemini Omni Flash show the free tier as not available. Google AI Studio is free in all available regions. In exchange, free-tier content is used to improve Google products. Exact free rate limits are shown per project in AI Studio, not on the docs page, and Reddit threads describe them changing and 429 errors below the stated limits. I found no independent G2 or Trustpilot listing for the API itself.
Free tier quotas
Free plan
Free of charge input and output tokens on selected models, plus Google AI Studio access
Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Gemini Omni Flash show Not available on the free tier
Embeddings
Gemini Embedding 2 is free for text, image, audio and video input
Free tools
Code execution, URL context and file search are listed as free of charge on the free tier
Search and Maps grounding
The tools table lists 500 requests a day free on Flash and Flash-Lite and none for Pro. The Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.5 Flash-Lite rows say Not available, so confirm for your model
Rate limits
Measured in requests per minute, tokens per minute and requests per day, applied per project rather than per API key, and shown in AI Studio
Free tier qualification
An active project or a free trial
Data use
Free-tier content is used to improve Google products. Paid-tier content is not
Upgrade path
Link a billing account to reach Tier 1, usually instantly. Tier 2 needs $100 paid plus 3 days, Tier 3 needs $1,000 paid plus 30 days
Google AI Studio
Free of charge in all available regions
Last sniffed Oct 4, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
👍 Good boy
+Several current models are free of charge for input and output tokens, including Gemini 3.8 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemini 2.5 Pro, according to the pricing page.
+Gemini Embedding 2 is free on the free tier for text, image, audio and video input. The paid text price is $0.20 per million tokens if you outgrow the free quota.
+Gemma 4, Google's open model, is listed with free input, output and caching on the free tier and no paid-tier price.
+Code execution, URL context and file search are free of charge on the free tier, which lets you test tool use without a bill.
+Google AI Studio usage is free in all available regions, so you can prototype prompts before you write code.
+The upgrade is self-serve: link a billing account in AI Studio and the project moves to Tier 1, typically instantly. Paid tiers add context caching and the Batch API at a 50% cost reduction.
+Limits are visible per project in AI Studio, and the docs state they update automatically as your tier and account status change.
👎 Watch out
−Free-tier content is used to improve Google products. The pricing page marks this Yes on the free tier and No on the paid tier for every model I read.
−The free-tier numbers are not on the pricing or rate-limits docs page, which sends you to AI Studio, and the page says rate limits are subject to change. Reddit posters describe swings: an r/homeassistant poster reported being cut to about 10 requests a day, an r/Bard poster reported a rise from 20 to 1,500 requests a day, and an r/GeminiAI thread was titled 'Google reduces API rate limits for free tier.'
−An r/Bard commenter said free-tier users often get 429 errors well below their limits, especially on frontier models. It is a single comment, so I could not verify it.
−The newest models are not on the free tier. Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Gemini Omni Flash all show Not available for free input and output.
−Paid prices are scheduled to rise. Gemini 3.8 Flash is $0.75 in and $3.75 out per million tokens through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 and $7.50. Gemini 4 Argon doubles on December 1, 2026.
−An r/GeminiAI commenter said the free API tier is meant for frictionless testing and not as a long-term place to run a product, which matches the data-use and limit terms.
−I found no independent G2 or Trustpilot listing for the API. G2's Gemini listing covers the chat assistant, so the outside evidence here is Reddit excerpts.
The catch
The free tier is real but its size is not published on the pages I read. The pricing page lists which models are free of charge, and the rate-limits page says limits are measured in requests per minute, tokens per minute and requests per day, apply to the project, and are viewed in Google AI Studio. Because the numbers sit behind a login and the page says they are subject to change, plan for them to move. Reddit posters describe cuts, a reported restoration and 429 errors below stated limits.
The price of free is data use. The pricing page marks free-tier content as used to improve Google products and paid-tier content as not used. If you send customer data, use a paid project.
I left the card requirement and commercial-use rule as unknown. The docs say the free tier needs an active project or a free trial, and the terms page was not part of what I read. Prices for paid models also change soon: Gemini 3.8 Flash input goes from $0.75 to $1.50 per million tokens on January 1, 2027.
G2 lists a Gemini product with 4.4 stars from several hundred reviews, but that listing covers the chat assistant and its reviews talk about writing and chat. Vertex AI Agent Builder has its own listing. Neither describes this API, so the independent evidence for it is Reddit.
What’s included
✓Gemini 3.8 Flash, 3.5 and 3.1 Flash-Lite, 3 Flash Preview and 2.5 Pro text and multimodal models
✓Gemma 4 open model through the API
✓Gemini Embedding 2 multimodal embeddings
✓Live API models for real-time audio and video
✓Text to speech models
✓Image generation models (Nano Banana family)
✓Veo 3.1 video and Lyria music generation
✓Context caching on the paid tier
✓Batch API at a 50% cost reduction on the paid tier
✓Google Search and Maps grounding
✓Code execution, URL context and file search tools
✓Google AI Studio for prompt prototyping
Free tier value
Generosity
A
Estimated value
Free input and output tokens on selected models, with limits set per project in AI Studio
Feature parity
Paid adds higher rate limits, context caching, the Batch API at 50% off and no content use.
Screenshots
Gemini API homepageGemini Developer API pricing page
Paid plans
Paid, pay as you go
Per million tokens, input and output: Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite $0.30 and $2.50, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite $0.25 and $1.50 for text, image and video input, Gemini 3.8 Flash $0.75 and $3.75 through December 31, 2026 then $1.50 and $7.50, Gemini 2.5 Pro $1.25 and $10 for prompts up to 200k tokens. Includes higher rate limits, context caching and the Batch API.
Frontier models, paid only
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is $2.00 in and $12.00 out per million tokens for prompts up to 200k. Gemini 4 Argon is $2.00 and $10.00 through November 30, 2026, then $4.00 and $20.00. Neither has a free tier.
Enterprise, contact sales
Runs through Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform with dedicated support channels, advanced security and compliance, provisioned throughput and volume-based discounts.
Common questions
Is the Gemini API free?
A Free plan charges nothing for input and output tokens on selected models. The pricing page lists Gemini 3.8 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, 3.1 Flash-Lite, 3 Flash Preview, 2.5 Pro, Embedding 2 and Gemma 4 as free of charge.
What are the free rate limits?
They are measured in requests per minute, tokens per minute and requests per day, per project, and are shown in Google AI Studio. The docs page does not list the free numbers and says limits are subject to change.
Does Google use my free-tier prompts?
Yes. The pricing page marks free-tier content as used to improve Google products and paid-tier content as not used.
How do I move to a paid tier?
Set up billing in AI Studio. The docs say the upgrade from Free to Tier 1 typically takes effect instantly. Tier 2 needs $100 paid and 3 days, Tier 3 needs $1,000 paid and 30 days.
Which models have no free tier?
Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview and Gemini Omni Flash show Not available for the free tier.
Will prices change?
Yes. Gemini 3.8 Flash rises on January 1, 2027 and Gemini 4 Argon on December 1, 2026, according to the pricing page.
Change history
Checked October 22, 2026
Pricing page and rate-limits docs read. Free rate-limit numbers are not published on either page. Forum evidence comes from Reddit search excerpts.
