Side-by-side comparison

Claude vs Gemini

Plans, free tiers and API access for Claude and Gemini, from each vendor's own pages. Last checked Oct 4, 2026.

ClaudeAssistant

GeminiAssistant

The short answer

Gemini has the lower entry price at $4.99/mo, against $20/mo for Claude.
Both Claude and Gemini have an ongoing free plan.
On LiveBench (2026-06-25), Claude's best model (Claude Fable 5.1 Max Effort) scores 83.4 against 78.8 for Gemini's best (Gemini 3.7 Flash High).

Pricing and features

ClaudeGemini

Starting price

$20/mo

$4.99/mo

Paid plans

Pro$20/mo
Max$100/mo

Google AI Plus$4.99/mo
Google AI Pro$19.99/mo
Google AI Ultra$99.99/mo

Free plan

Free planFree plan at $0 with web, desktop, and mobile chat

Free planFree with a Google Account: Gemini app, Deep Research and image generation with usage limits

API access

API availableClaude Platform API with per-token model pricing

API availableGemini API is billed separately through Google AI Studio and Vertex AI

Best for

Knowledge workers who want long-context chat, file and code tools, and optional Claude Code or team workspaces on paid plans.

People already in Google accounts who want one assistant with optional paid usage tiers and bundled storage.

Watch out for

Usage resets on rolling five-hour windows with additional weekly caps on paid tiers; enterprise features and SSO require higher plans. Platform API usage is metered separately from claude.ai seats.

Free-tier limits and model access change often. Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra are billed monthly in USD; prices can differ by region.

How to choose

Claude's paid ladder starts at Pro for $20 per month, offered as monthly or annual billing, then jumps to Max from $100 per month with 5x or 20x Pro usage options. Gemini has more rungs below that: Google AI Plus at $4.99, Google AI Pro at $19.99 and Google AI Ultra at $99.99, each billed monthly. On the free side, Claude offers chat on web, desktop and mobile, while Gemini's free use comes with a Google Account and includes Deep Research and image generation. Claude's paid usage resets on rolling five-hour windows with weekly caps. Both have separate developer APIs: Claude Platform charges per token, and the Gemini API is pay as you go via Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.

Claude: You do long-context work with files and code, or want team workspaces and Claude Code on a paid plan, and can plan around five-hour usage windows.
Gemini: You live in Google accounts and want a cheaper first paid step at $4.99 per month or storage included with the plan.
Either: You are comparing the $20-ish tiers and mainly want to try each free plan first, since both let you chat without paying.

Reviewed Oct 5, 2026. Prices and plans can change, so confirm on the vendor's site.

LiveBench results

Best-scoring model per vendor in the 2026-06-25 LiveBench release (13 Anthropic and 6 Google configurations). Scores are out of 100.

Claude Fable 5.1 Max EffortGemini 3.7 Flash High

Overall

83.4

78.8

Reasoning

91.7

87.8

Coding

86.4

78.9

Agentic Coding

66.1

58.3

Mathematics

97.0

93.5

Data Analysis

80.3

68.0

Language

89.5

85.5

Instruction Following

73.0

79.9

Cost per successful task

$1.21

$0.157

Source: LiveBench, imported Oct 5, 2026. Explore every model.

Common questions

Which is cheaper, Claude or Gemini?

Gemini has the lower starting price ($4.99/mo versus $20/mo). Compare plans before choosing, since limits differ.

Is Claude free?

Free plan. Free plan at $0 with web, desktop, and mobile chat

Is Gemini free?

Free plan. Free with a Google Account: Gemini app, Deep Research and image generation with usage limits

Which scores higher on benchmarks, Claude or Gemini?

In the 2026-06-25 LiveBench release, Claude Fable 5.1 Max Effort scores 83.4 and Gemini 3.7 Flash High scores 78.8 overall. Scores measure the benchmark, not your own workload.

Find your next AI tool