--- title: "Gemini CLI vs Claude Code 2026: Which to Use Now" url: "https://dupple.com/learn/gemini-cli-vs-claude-code" description: "Gemini CLI vs Claude Code in 2026: Gemini CLI lost its free tier on June 18 and now serves Code Assist licenses only. Prices, access and which to pick." published: "2026-11-10" updated: "2026-11-10" llms_txt: "https://dupple.com/llms.txt" --- # Gemini CLI vs Claude Code 2026: What Changed After Google Ended the Free Tier Trusted by 800,000+ Techpresso subscribers · Editorial policy · How we make money Written by Louis Corneloup Founder at Dupple, covering AI tools and strategies for 800K+ readers. How our guides are researched . November 10, 2026 · Updated November 2026 8 min read Short answer: **Claude Code wins for almost everyone starting today.** Gemini CLI stopped serving free and Google AI Pro or Ultra accounts on June 18, 2026, and Google stopped selling the Code Assist licenses it still runs on as of October 9. Claude Code comes with Claude Pro at $17 a month billed annually. Google's own replacement is Antigravity CLI, free with basic weekly limits. Verified on Google and Anthropic pages, October 2026. That makes the old matchup lopsided. Most "Gemini CLI vs Claude Code" articles still quote a free allowance of 1,000 requests a day, which describes Gemini CLI before June 2026. The real comparison for a new user is now Claude Code against Antigravity CLI, with Gemini CLI left for companies that already pay for Gemini Code Assist. ## Gemini CLI vs Claude Code at a glance *Gemini CLI vs Claude Code at a glance: Gemini CLI vs Claude Code 2026: What Changed After Google Ended the Free Tier. Last updated November 2026.* | Tool | Who can use it (October 2026) | Cheapest way in | Price | Models | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Claude Code | Anyone on a paid Claude plan | Claude Pro | $17 a month billed annually, $20 monthly | Claude models, including Opus on paid plans | | Gemini CLI | Organizations with existing Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses, plus paid Gemini API keys | Code Assist Standard (existing customers) | $19 per user a month on a 12-month commitment, $22.80 monthly | Gemini models; not tuned for Gemini 4 | | Antigravity CLI | Free individuals, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, Google Cloud customers | Free individual plan | $0, with basic weekly rate limits | A variety of agent models; Gemini 4 Argon on Google AI Pro and Ultra | Sources: [Claude pricing](https://claude.com/pricing), [Gemini CLI on GitHub](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli), [Gemini for Google Cloud pricing](https://cloud.google.com/products/gemini/pricing) and [Antigravity pricing](https://antigravity.google/pricing), all read October 28, 2026. Google lists Code Assist license fees per hour; the monthly figures come from the same page's monthly view. **Dupple data:** Toolradar, our software directory, tracks 181 AI coding tools as of October 27, 2026, and the median cheapest paid plan among the 59 that publish a price is $19 a month ([Toolradar AI coding data](https://toolradar.com/best/ai-coding)). Claude Pro on annual billing sits $2 below that median; a Code Assist Standard seat on a yearly term sits right on it. ## What changed for Gemini CLI in 2026? Three dates reshaped the tool, and each one narrowed who can use it. - **May 19, 2026:** Google announced the move to Antigravity CLI in its [transition post](https://developers.googleblog.com/an-important-update-transitioning-gemini-cli-to-antigravity-cli/), citing more than 100,000 GitHub stars for Gemini CLI. - **June 18, 2026:** Gemini CLI and the Code Assist IDE extensions stopped serving free individual accounts and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. The "Login with Google" option no longer works for them, per Google's [consumer deprecation notice](https://developers.google.com/gemini-code-assist/docs/deprecations/code-assist-individuals). - **October 9, 2026:** Google stopped selling new Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise subscriptions. Existing customers can add licenses until January 31, 2027; annual plans can renew until that date and monthly plans until December 31, 2027, per the [Code Assist subscription notice](https://docs.cloud.google.com/gemini/docs/codeassist/sunset). The practical reading: **Gemini CLI is now a tool for existing Google Cloud customers on a clock.** Google tells those customers to plan their move to Gemini Enterprise, where agentic coding runs through Antigravity. The README adds that Gemini CLI is not tuned for the Gemini 4 series, so it will not get the newest models at their best. ## Is Gemini CLI still free? No. The free individual tier and Google AI Pro or Ultra access moved to Antigravity CLI in June, and the Gemini CLI README now says it has no free tier and no Google AI plans. The open-source code is still on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can install it, but without a Code Assist license or a paid Gemini API key it has nothing to talk to. If you want a free Google terminal agent, the answer is Antigravity CLI. Its free individual plan includes unlimited Tab completions and Command requests with basic weekly rate limits on agent use. ## What is Antigravity CLI, and does it replace Gemini CLI? For individuals, yes. Antigravity CLI (the `agy` command) is Google's interactive multi-agent coding terminal and the path Google recommends for free, Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra accounts, and for Gemini 4 Argon. It shares a harness with the Antigravity desktop app, is written in Go, and can run several agents in the background on a large refactor. Google says it carries over Gemini CLI's most used features: Agent Skills, Hooks, Subagents, and Extensions (now called Antigravity plugins). It also says there is no one-to-one feature parity yet, so a team with heavily customized Gemini CLI setups should test its scripts before switching. Pricing follows Google's consumer plans. Free gets basic weekly limits; Google AI Pro adds higher limits and a flexible AI credit pool; Google AI Ultra adds more again. Our [Google AI Pro vs Ultra comparison](https://dupple.com/learn/google-ai-pro-vs-ultra) covers what those subscriptions cost. Businesses go through Google Cloud, where eligible Gemini Enterprise customers get Standard and Plus plans from $30 per seat a month, or pay-as-you-go with no seat fee. ## How much does Claude Code cost? Claude Code is included in every paid Claude plan and missing from Free. The entry point is Pro; Max starts at $100 a month for 5x or 20x Pro's usage, and Team standard seats cost $20 per seat a month billed annually ($25 monthly). Our [Claude Code pricing guide](https://dupple.com/learn/claude-code-pricing) breaks down every tier, and [Claude Pro vs Max](https://dupple.com/learn/claude-pro-vs-max) covers when the upgrade pays. One detail matters more than the price. Anthropic's pricing FAQ says Claude Code **shares the same usage limits as the rest of your plan**, so a long terminal session and your chat use draw from one pool. Heavy users can switch to pay-as-you-go API billing through a Console account. Our guide to [Claude usage limits](https://dupple.com/learn/claude-usage-limits) explains how that pool resets. Yearly billing on Pro costs $200 up front. Our arithmetic: twelve monthly payments come to $240, so annual saves $40 a year if you know you will keep it. ## Features and limits compared *Features and limits compared: Gemini CLI vs Claude Code 2026: What Changed After Google Ended the Free Tier. Last updated November 2026.* | Point | Claude Code | Gemini CLI | Antigravity CLI | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Open to new buyers | Yes, any paid Claude plan | No new Code Assist subscriptions since October 9, 2026 | Yes, including a free plan | | Usage model | Shared pool with Claude chat; 5x or 20x on Max | Code Assist license limits; Enterprise has higher agent limits | Weekly rate limits, higher on Google AI Pro and Ultra | | Extensibility | Skills and connectors | MCP servers and extensions | Skills, hooks, subagents and plugins | | Newest model fit | Current Claude models, Opus on paid plans | Not tuned for Gemini 4 | Built for Gemini 4 Argon | Read on [Claude pricing](https://claude.com/pricing), the [Gemini CLI README](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli) and [Antigravity pricing](https://antigravity.google/pricing), October 28, 2026. ## Round by round **Price for one developer: Antigravity CLI wins, Claude Code second.** Antigravity has a $0 plan, and Claude Code's cheapest route is Pro. Gemini CLI has no individual plan at all now. **Access for a new team: Claude Code wins.** You can buy Claude Team seats today for 2 to 150 people with central billing and SSO. Gemini CLI's licenses are no longer sold, and Antigravity for business runs through a Google Cloud sales conversation or Gemini Enterprise. **Model quality on the newest releases: tie between Claude Code and Antigravity.** Each is built around its own vendor's current models, while Gemini CLI's README warns it is not optimized for Gemini 4. **Long-term safety of your setup: Claude Code wins.** Gemini CLI has a published end date for renewals, and Antigravity CLI is a few months old with Google itself saying features are still catching up. **Cost control for heavy use: tie.** Claude Code draws from a shared plan pool with an API fallback; Antigravity uses weekly limits with a credit pool on paid Google plans. Both cap you rather than surprise you. ## Who should pick which? *Who should pick which?: Gemini CLI vs Claude Code 2026: What Changed After Google Ended the Free Tier. Last updated November 2026.* | You are | Pick | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | A developer starting fresh with a budget | Claude Code on Pro | Paid plan, current models, $17 a month on annual billing | | A developer who wants $0 | Antigravity CLI, free plan | The only free option of the three, with weekly limits | | A Google AI Pro or Ultra subscriber | Antigravity CLI | Your subscription already covers it; Gemini CLI no longer accepts your login | | A company already on Gemini Code Assist | Gemini CLI for now, plan the move | Licenses keep working until your final renewal date | | A team that needs seats bought this quarter | Claude Code on Team | Self-serve seats from $20 a month on annual billing | If neither fits, our [Codex vs Claude Code](https://dupple.com/learn/codex-vs-claude-code) and [Claude Code vs Cursor](https://dupple.com/learn/claude-code-vs-cursor) comparisons cover the other two common choices, and the [cheapest AI coding assistant](https://dupple.com/learn/cheapest-ai-coding-assistant) page ranks the low-cost options. For a wider field, see our [best AI coding assistant guide](https://dupple.com/learn/best-ai-coding-assistant). ## Strengths and weaknesses **Claude Code** - Strength: included in every paid Claude plan, so one subscription covers chat, documents and the terminal. - Strength: Max gives 5x or 20x Pro's usage for long sessions, from $100 a month. - Weakness: no free access; the Free plan does not include Claude Code at all. - Weakness: terminal work and chat share one usage pool, so a heavy coding day can leave less for everything else. **Gemini CLI** - Strength: open source under Apache 2.0, with MCP server support configured in a single settings file. - Strength: existing Code Assist customers keep access, with monthly renewals allowed until December 31, 2027. - Weakness: no free tier and no Google AI plan access since the June cutoff, which ends it for hobby use. - Weakness: no new Code Assist subscriptions since October 9, 2026, and not tuned for Gemini 4. **Antigravity CLI** - Strength: a $0 plan with unlimited Tab completions and Command requests. - Strength: built for Gemini 4 Argon and multi-agent work in the background. - Weakness: Google says it does not yet match Gemini CLI feature for feature. - Weakness: free use sits under basic weekly rate limits, so a long agent session can stall until the week resets. For more ways to extend Claude Code, see [the best Claude Code skills](https://dupple.com/learn/best-claude-code-skills-2026) and [the best MCP servers for Claude Code](https://dupple.com/learn/best-mcp-servers-claude-code). Toolradar keeps profiles of [Claude Code](https://toolradar.com/tools/claude-code) and [Gemini CLI](https://toolradar.com/tools/gemini-cli). ## FAQ **Is Gemini CLI or Claude Code better in 2026?** Claude Code is the better pick for most people buying today, because Gemini CLI no longer serves free or Google AI Pro and Ultra accounts and Google stopped selling the Code Assist licenses it runs on. Claude Code starts with Claude Pro at $17 a month billed annually. **Can I use Gemini CLI with a Google AI Pro plan?** No. Since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI stopped serving Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers, and the Login with Google option no longer works. Those subscribers now use Antigravity CLI, which their plan covers with higher rate limits than the free plan. **Is Gemini CLI still free with 1,000 requests a day?** No. That allowance belongs to the pre-June 2026 version of the product. Gemini CLI now has no free tier; free individual access moved to Antigravity CLI, which has basic weekly rate limits instead. **Does Claude Code have a free plan?** No. Claude Code is included in Pro, Max and Team plans but not in Claude's Free plan. Pro costs $17 a month on annual billing ($200 up front) or $20 billed monthly, as listed on claude.com in October 2026. **How much does Gemini CLI cost for a company?** Existing Gemini Code Assist customers pay $19 per user a month for Standard on a 12-month commitment, or $22.80 on monthly terms; Enterprise is $45 or $54. New subscriptions are no longer sold, and annual renewals end on January 31, 2027. **What should I use instead of Gemini CLI?** Individuals should move to Antigravity CLI, Google's successor, which has a free plan. Teams that want a paid, supported terminal agent they can buy today usually look at Claude Code, Codex or Cursor. ## How we checked We read the [Gemini CLI README](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli), Google's [transition post](https://developers.googleblog.com/an-important-update-transitioning-gemini-cli-to-antigravity-cli/), both Code Assist deprecation notices, [Gemini for Google Cloud pricing](https://cloud.google.com/products/gemini/pricing), [Antigravity pricing](https://antigravity.google/pricing) and [Claude pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) on October 28, 2026. Yearly savings are our arithmetic on those printed prices. We do not run a test lab, so this page carries no speed or benchmark claims. See [how we rate tools](https://toolradar.com/how-we-rate); we re-check prices about every 60 days. **Cite this:** Dupple, "Gemini CLI vs Claude Code 2026: What Changed After Google Ended the Free Tier", November 2026. **Building with AI tools at work?** [Start the Dupple X trial](https://checkout.dupple.com/checkout/dupple-x-yearly-trial/) for practical AI courses and tool guides. Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links. Related Articles Article ### Claude Code vs Cursor in 2026: Which AI Coding Tool Should You Use? Claude Code vs Cursor in 2026: pricing, Claude Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5, IDE integration, multi-file refactoring, and which to pick. Plus how devs use both together. Article ### Codex vs Claude Code in 2026: OpenAI's Coding Agent vs Anthropic's Codex vs Claude Code in 2026: pricing, GPT-6 vs Claude Opus 5.5, where each agent runs (web, desktop, CLI, IDE), usage limits, and which to pick for daily coding. 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