Gemini API: free tier in Google AI Studio

GoogleFree tier on select Gemini models

Cost: Free tier with rate limits. Paid tiers are pay as you go.
How long: Ongoing. Google can change the limits.
Last verified: Nov 9, 2026 · ai.google.dev

What you get

A free tier of the Gemini Developer API. Input and output tokens are free of charge on the models that offer it.
Google AI Studio itself is free to use in all available regions.
API keys are managed in AI Studio.

Limits

Not every model is on the free tier. Google's pricing page marks some newer models as paid only.
Lower rate limits than the paid tiers. Google publishes them on its rate-limits page, and they vary by model.
Google's pricing page says free-tier content may be used to improve Google's products. The paid tiers say it isn't. Don't send sensitive data on the free tier.

Who qualifies

A Google account in a region where the Gemini API is available.

Claim it with an AI agent

A browser or computer-use AI agent, for example Grok Bot or Meta's Muse, can do most of the clicking and setup. You keep the steps tied to your identity, money and legal consent.

The agent can do

Open Google AI Studio in your signed-in browser and create an API key for you.
Store the key in your password manager or secret store, not in chat or code.
Write a short test script, check which models your key can use for free, and add retry logic for rate-limit errors.

You do yourself

Sign in to your own account yourself (password, 2FA codes).
Accept the Gemini API terms yourself.
Turn on billing yourself, if you ever choose a paid tier.

Example prompt: "Open the official Gemini API (Google AI Studio) page (ai.google.dev) and check that this offer still matches what it says there. Once I've signed in, set it up for me. Stop and hand control back to me at any sign-in, phone or ID check, card field, captcha or terms acceptance."

Use one project's free tier as intended. Don't spread traffic across extra accounts or projects to get around rate limits.

Sources

Checked Nov 9, 2026 on the official pages above. Offers change, and the official page always wins. All deals