Head-to-head · verified September 25, 2026
Claude vs Gemini: price comparison
Gemini is cheaper to start: Google AI Plus costs $4.99/mo against $20/mo for Claude Pro. At the standard tier it's Claude Pro ($20/mo) against Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo).
Plans tier by tier
| Claude | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Claude Free Free | Gemini Free Free |
| Entry (under $15) | — | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo |
| Standard (~$20) | Claude Pro $20/mo | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo |
| Premium ($90+) | Claude Max 5× $100/mo Claude Max 20× $200/mo | Google AI Ultra $99.99/mo Google AI Ultra (top tier) $199.99/mo |
Key numbers
| Claude | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Claude Pro $20/mo | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo |
| Most expensive plan | Claude Max 20× $200/mo | Google AI Ultra (top tier) $199.99/mo |
| Plans on sale | 4 | 5 |
| Annual discount | Yes | Not listed |
| Cheapest API model | Claude Haiku 4.5 $1 / $5 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite $0.25 / $1.50 |
| Priciest API model | Claude Fable 5.1 $10 / $50 | Gemini 3.1 Pro $2 / $12 |
| Both standard plans | $39.99/mo together ($480/yr) | |
Pick Claude if…
Anyone who writes for a living, works with long PDFs and reports, or ships code.
- Opus 5.5 included from the $20 Pro tier
- Handles very long documents and codebases (1M-token models)
- Pro is $17/month on annual billing
Best-in-class for writing and coding. Pro is the sweet spot; Max is for people who hit Pro limits daily.
Claude plans in detail →Pick Gemini if…
People already paying for Google One storage or working in Google Workspace.
- AI Plus at $4.99 is the cheapest paid entry among the majors
- AI Pro includes 5 TB of Google One storage
- Deep Gmail, Docs and Drive integration
Strongest bundle in AI. If you were going to pay for storage anyway, AI Plus or AI Pro is close to a free upgrade.
Gemini plans in detail →Recent changes
- Claude Claude Opus 5.5 launched
API at $4 / $20. Included in Pro and Max (not Free). Paid 5-hour limits raised, plus a one-time reset usable until Oct 22.
- Gemini Gemini 3.8 Flash launched
$0.75 / $3.75 until Dec 31, 2026, then $1.50 / $7.50. Available in the Gemini app on AI Pro and Ultra.
- Claude Claude Fable 5.1 launched
API at $10 / $50. Not included in Pro; usable on Max for up to 50% of the weekly allowance. Sonnet 5's planned price rise to $3 / $15 was cancelled.
- Gemini Gemini 3.6 Flash becomes the free default
The free Gemini app moved to 3.6 Flash.
- Gemini Google AI Plus price cut
$7.99 → $4.99 per month; storage 200 GB → 400 GB.
- Gemini Google AI Pro storage increase
2 TB → 5 TB of Google One storage at the same $19.99.
Claude vs Gemini: questions
Is Claude cheaper than Gemini?
To start, yes for Gemini: its cheapest paid plan is Google AI Plus at $4.99/mo, versus Claude Pro at $20/mo.
Do Claude and Gemini both have a free plan?
Yes. Claude Free: daily usage limit, projects and chat history. Gemini Free: 15 gb google storage, gemini in the app and on the web.
Should I choose Claude or Gemini?
Choose Claude if you are: anyone who writes for a living, works with long PDFs and reports, or ships code. Choose Gemini if you are: people already paying for Google One storage or working in Google Workspace.
Sources
Checked against the official pages below on September 25, 2026. Prices are USD before local tax. See how we verify prices and the change log.