Google cuts free Gemini users back to Flash-Lite and removes Pro from its $4.99 AI Plus plan
Under the new tiers, all three Gemini models require the $19.99-a-month AI Pro plan or higher.
Starting in October 2026, Google will restrict which Gemini models personal-account users can access, The Decoder reports, citing Google's support page. Users without a subscription will get only the smallest model, Flash-Lite. Today's free tier offers 3.6 Flash and varying access to 3.1 Pro. Subscribers to AI Plus, which costs $4.99 a month, will lose Pro and keep Flash-Lite and Flash. Access to all three models will require AI Pro at $19.99 a month or AI Ultra at $99.99 or $199.99 a month. The Decoder says the structure resembles OpenAI's freemium model for ChatGPT. It expects the practical effect to be limited, since most casual users don't know which model they are using and power users, a few percent of the base, likely already pay. The outlet suggests the change may be preparing the ground for Gemini 4 Argon, Google's newest frontier model, which could cost more to run. Google is currently giving Argon only to vetted cyber defenders. Free users who rely on Gemini for heavier reasoning tasks will be the most affected. The change also shows how AI companies are rationing access to compute-intensive models by price.