Gemini API CLI Pricing

open sourceopen sourcelast verified October 24, 2026official site ↗

Plan	Price	Notes
Open source CLIofficial source ↗	$0checked 2026-10-24	Apache-2.0; prebuilt binaries for macOS, Linux and Windows, install script or go install; beta, breaking changes possible
Gemini API usage (free tier or pay as you go)official source ↗	Usage-basedchecked 2026-10-24	Requests use your Gemini API key and follow Gemini API free-tier limits or paid-tier rates; some models, such as Gemini 4 Argon, are not on the free tier

structured from cited official pricing sources: “The CLI is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0. It calls the Gemini API with your own API key (GEMINI_API_KEY from Google AI Studio), so requests are billed, or count against free-tier limits, at standard Gemini API rates for the models and agents you use; see the Gemini API pricing page.”

Self-hosting cost

Gemini API CLI is open source. Self-hosting does not add a software license fee, but you still pay for infrastructure, operations, and any external model or API usage.

Free & cheaper Terminal & CLI Tools

same category, free plan or open-source license

Claude CodeClaude Code is included in Claude paid plans: Pro at $20/month ($17/month billed annually), Max 5x at $100/month and Max 20x at $200/month, and Team seats at $25/seat/month ($20 billed annually) for Standard or $125/seat/month ($100 billed annually) for Premium (5x Standard usage). Enterprise is $20/seat/month billed annually plus usage at API rates. A Free plan is available without Claude Code, and developers can also use API keys billed per token.Ghosttyopen sourceGhostty is 100% free and open-source software licensed under MIT. It operates with zero licensing fees, zero paywalled tiers, and no cloud dependencies.WarpWarp offers Free ($0) with Warp AI or bring-your-own, Build at $20/month ($18 billed annually) with $20 of agent usage, Max at $200/month ($180 billed annually) with $200 of agent usage, and Business at $50/user/month ($45 billed annually, up to 25 seats) with $20 of agent usage per seat.ClaudeFree tier with core Claude access. Paid subscription plans include Claude Pro at $20/month ($17/month billed annually), Claude Max 5x at $100/month for 5x Pro usage limits, Claude Max 20x at $200/month for heavy agentic coding and power workflows, and Claude Team at $30/user/month ($25/user/month billed annually, 5-seat minimum). Enterprise tier provides custom scalable pricing, SAML SSO, and SCIM provisioning. Since October 7, 2026, Max and Team plans also include monthly Claude Platform API credits: $100 on Max 5x, $200 on Max 20x, and on Team $20 per Standard seat and $100 per Premium seat, pooled and capped at $500. The credits cover the Claude API, Managed Agents and the Agent SDK, not interactive Claude Code, and expire each billing cycle.

Gemini API CLI overview →alternatives →

FAQ

How much does Gemini API CLI cost?

The CLI is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0. It calls the Gemini API with your own API key (GEMINI_API_KEY from Google AI Studio), so requests are billed, or count against free-tier limits, at standard Gemini API rates for the models and agents you use; see the Gemini API pricing page.

Does Gemini API CLI have a free plan?

Yes — Gemini API CLI is open source and free to use.

Can you self-host Gemini API CLI for free?

Gemini API CLI is open source. Self-hosting does not add a software license fee, but you still pay for infrastructure, operations, and any external model or API usage.

What are free or cheaper Gemini API CLI alternatives?

Claude Code, Ghostty, Warp are in the same category with a free plan or open-source license.

pricing is editorial catalog data (last verified October 24, 2026) — vendors change plans; confirm on the official site before you buy. Reuse this data under CC-BY 4.0 via /data.