Gemini CLI vs Claude Code

How the plans compare on price, usage limits and reset windows, generated from our Oct 17, 2026 snapshot. Gemini CLI has the cheaper entry plan ($19.99 vs $20 per month).

	Gemini CLI	Claude Code
Vendor	Google	Anthropic
Type	Terminal agent (open source)	Terminal / IDE agent (bundled with Claude subscription)
Free tier	Yes	Yes (no coding agent)
Cheapest paid plan	Google AI Pro, $19.99/mo	Pro, $20/mo
Top individual plan	Google AI Ultra 20x, $199.99/mo	Max 20x, $200/mo
How limits work	Maximum model requests per user per day.	Rolling 5-hour session window plus weekly limits on paid plans; no fixed message count published.
Reset windows	daily	5-hour, weekly

Price ladder

What each tool offers at the same monthly price.

$/month	Gemini CLI	Claude Code
Free	Free (Code Assist for individuals) 1,000 model requests per user per day.	Free Usage limits apply; no fixed number published. Pro gives at least 5x Free usage per 5-hour session.
$19.99	Google AI Pro 1,500 model requests per user per day.	—
$20	—	Pro At least 5x Free usage per 5-hour session; weekly limits on top. Exact amounts not published.
$99.99	Google AI Ultra 5x 2,000 model requests per user per day (Gemini CLI docs list 'Google AI Ultra' without distinguishing 5x/20x).	—
$100	—	Max 5x 5x Pro per-session usage; weekly limit across all models. Fable capped at 50% of weekly limits.
$199.99	Google AI Ultra 20x 2,000 model requests per user per day (Gemini CLI docs list 'Google AI Ultra' without distinguishing 5x/20x).	—
$200	—	Max 20x 20x Pro per-session usage; weekly limit across all models. Fable capped at 50% of weekly limits.

Sources

https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli/blob/main/docs/resources/quota-and-pricing.md (checked Oct 17, 2026)
https://one.google.com/about/google-ai-plans/ (checked Oct 17, 2026)
https://claude.com/pricing (checked Oct 17, 2026)
https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan (checked Oct 17, 2026)