Mostly no. The software is still free: Gemini CLI is open source under Apache 2.0, and installing it costs nothing. The free usage most people mean is gone. Since June 18, 2026, Google’s own README says “Unpaid tier and Google One users: Gemini CLI was replaced by Antigravity CLI,” and the only routes Google still commits to are paid.
Gemini CLI is Google’s open-source terminal agent: it reads your code, edits files and runs commands, calling Gemini models through a Google sign-in, a Gemini API key or Vertex AI.
What’s free and what you pay
| Route | Cost | The cap | What you pay past it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sign in with Google, personal account (free Code Assist for individuals) | $0 | Stopped serving Gemini CLI on June 18, 2026 | Not available; Google points you to Antigravity CLI |
| Sign in with Google AI Pro or Ultra | Subscription | Also stopped serving Gemini CLI on June 18 | Not available in Gemini CLI |
| Gemini API key, free tier (AI Studio) | $0 | Docs still say 250 requests a day, Flash only, but Google no longer promises this route works | Link billing for a paid key |
| Gemini API key, paid | Per token | Tier 1: $250 billing tier cap, $10 per 10 minutes spend limit | Higher tiers after cumulative spend |
| Vertex AI express mode | $0 for up to 90 days | Not named in Google’s list of supported routes | Add a billing account |
| Code Assist Standard or Enterprise (organizations) | Per seat | 1,500 or 2,000 requests a day | No new purchases since October 9, 2026 |
| Antigravity CLI, individual plan | $0 | A weekly quota | Google AI Pro or Ultra |
What is still free today
The tool itself. npm install -g @google/gemini-cli installs version 0.65.0, released October 20, 2026. The repository is active and ships weekly. Nothing about the license changed.
Using it is another matter. Google’s transition notice lists who keeps access: organizations on a Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license, organizations using Code Assist for GitHub through Google Cloud, and anyone on “paid Gemini and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys.” Every item on that list costs money.
Two free routes still appear in Google’s documentation, and neither is safe to rely on:
- A free-tier Gemini API key. The Gemini CLI quotas and pricing page still lists “250 maximum model requests / user / day” and “Model requests to Flash model only” for an unpaid key. The same page opens with the banner saying the unpaid tier was replaced. Its last content update was in March 2026, before the cutoff, so treat the 250 figure as history.
- Vertex AI express mode. Google Cloud’s express mode page still lets new users with a gmail.com account “try Agent Platform for free for up to 90 days” without billing details. Gemini CLI’s docs list it as free usage. The transition notice only names paid Agent Platform keys.
We did not have an unpaid key to test in this session, so we can’t tell you whether either route answers today. If it does, it does so without a promise from Google, and it can stop without notice.
Where the free tier stopped
Google’s deprecation page, updated October 9, says the cutoff covers “the Gemini Code Assist for individuals, Google AI Pro, and Google AI Ultra tiers,” and that “you can no longer use the Login with Google option to access the IDE extensions or Gemini CLI.” The blog post adds Code Assist for GitHub on consumer plans.
That last group matters. Before June 18, the most common free setup was simply running gemini, choosing Sign in with Google, and using a personal account. That is exactly the path that closed. Paying for Google AI Pro does not reopen it: Pro and Ultra lost Gemini CLI on the same day.
The organization route is narrowing too. Google Cloud’s Code Assist sunset page, updated October 20, says: “Starting October 9, 2026, you can no longer purchase new Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise subscriptions.” Existing contracts keep working, and January 31, 2027 is the last day to add licenses or auto-renew an annual plan. Google says “agentic coding assistance will be available through Antigravity” from here.
Gemini CLI free tier limits you will still see quoted
Search results and older guides still repeat the pre-cutoff numbers. On Google’s own quota page today:
- 1,000 requests a day for a personal Google account on Code Assist for individuals. That route no longer serves Gemini CLI.
- 1,500 and 2,000 a day for AI Pro and AI Ultra. Also closed.
- 250 a day, Flash only, for an unpaid API key. Listed, but under a banner that says the unpaid tier was replaced.
If you see one of these numbers in a guide, check its date. Anything written before June 18 describes a product that worked differently.
Is there a Gemini CLI free trial?
No. Google publishes no trial for Gemini CLI itself. The closest thing is express mode’s 90 days, with the caveat above. Google’s subscriptions page has a students link but no Gemini CLI offer, and the plans that once carried Gemini CLI quota no longer do.
The cheapest paid step: a paid Gemini API key
This is the route Google names first. Per the Gemini API rate limits page, Tier 1 only requires you to “set up and link an active billing account,” with a $250 billing tier cap and a spend rate limit of $10 per 10 minutes. You then pay per token.
Prices depend on the model Gemini CLI calls. On the Gemini API pricing page today, Gemini 3.8 Flash costs $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 and $7.50. Gemini 2.5 Pro is $1.25 and $10 for prompts up to 200k tokens. Paid usage is marked “Content not used to improve our products.”
Gemini CLI’s default auto setting picks models for you. To control the bill, pin one:
export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-paid-project-key"
export GEMINI_MODEL="gemini-3.8-flash"
gemini -p "Reply with the word ok."
Inside a session, /stats model shows token use and your current limits. One more thing to know before you pay: both the README and the Gemini CLI site now say Gemini CLI “has not been optimized for Gemini 4 Argon” and send Argon users to Antigravity. Whether Argon itself is free anywhere is a separate question, answered in our Gemini 4 Argon guide for coding agents.
How to use a Google terminal agent for free
If what you want is a free agent in the terminal rather than Gemini CLI specifically, you have three honest options.
Antigravity CLI. This is Google’s replacement, run as agy. The Antigravity plans page says every plan includes “Access to all product features, such as scheduled tasks and the CLI,” and users without AI Pro or Ultra get “A meaningful quota, refreshed weekly.” The pricing page lists the individual plan at $0 a month with “Basic weekly rate limits.” Google publishes no fixed number. The migration guide says it still reads your GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md files, and agy plugin import gemini converts old extensions to plugins.
A free-tier key, at your own risk. Fine for a quick experiment. Don’t build anything on it that has to run tomorrow.
A different agent on a free model. OpenCode lists models priced “Free” for a limited time. In an earlier test on October 16, 2026, OpenCode 1.19.2 on opencode/deepseek-v4.1-flash-free finished a write-and-run task in 32 seconds with no sign-in. Our DeepSeek V4.1 Flash free guide has the details, and free AI API keys covers keys you can call from your own code. For the same question about other agents, see is Claude Code free.
Where Sharkly fits
You already have coding agents. Sharkly turns them into a team. It runs the Claude Code, Codex or OpenCode you already use as assignable Agents on your own Computers. Each Task runs in an isolated worktree, and the result comes back on the Task for review.
Sharkly does not make Gemini CLI free, and it does not supply a Gemini key. Per the Sharkly pricing page, Free covers organizations of up to 5 people, and Team is $7 per person billed yearly after that. “Guests, Agents, and Computers do not occupy seats.” On models: “Sharkly does not sell tokens.” Whatever key or plan sits on the Computer is what the Agent spends. Sharkly pricing explained has the full breakdown.
If you run more than one coding agent, put them on one board with Sharkly and keep each on the plan it already has.
FAQ
Is Gemini CLI free? The software is free and open source. Using it is not free for most people since June 18, 2026: Google’s README says unpaid tier and Google One users were moved to Antigravity CLI, and Google only commits to paid API keys and existing organization licenses.
Is Gemini CLI still free with a personal Google account? No. Google’s deprecation page says you “can no longer use the Login with Google option” for Gemini CLI on Code Assist for individuals, Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra.
What are the Gemini CLI free tier limits? The quota page still shows 1,000 requests a day for a personal account and 250 a day, Flash only, for an unpaid API key. Both figures predate the June 18 cutoff, and the first route no longer works.
Does a free AI Studio API key work in Gemini CLI? Google doesn’t say. Its notice promises paid keys only, and its banner says the unpaid tier was replaced. Treat a free key as unsupported.
Does Google AI Pro include Gemini CLI? Not anymore. AI Pro and Ultra stopped serving Gemini CLI on June 18. They still raise your limits in Antigravity.
Is Antigravity CLI free? Google’s plans page includes the CLI on every plan, and users without AI Pro or Ultra get a weekly quota. Google publishes no fixed number for it.
