Tool

Gemini CLI

Google's open-source terminal coding agent powered by Gemini.

Official site: github.com Free tier: Yes Open source: Yes Platforms: CLI

Last verified: Oct 15, 2026 Last tested: Not yet, hands-on test pending

⚠ Preliminary, based on public research, hands-on test pending. These scores come from a desk review of public sources (official pricing pages, docs, changelogs), linked on each tool page. Rex hasn't run the hands-on tests yet, so tiers shown are projected. Under our rubric, a tool's official tier is capped at B until it's tested.

What looks good

Generous free tier with no card required
Open source (Apache 2.0)
Easy to script in CI and shell workflows

Watch-outs

Free tier was nerfed to Flash models only on Mar 25, 2026
Pro-model access requires a paid Google AI plan

From public sources below, not from our own hands-on testing (yet).

Scores

Best AI coding agents A77/100

Rank #6 · projected tier A · official tier B (untested cap) · ⚠ Preliminary

Best free tier on the board, but nerfed to Flash-only for free users on Mar 25, 2026.

Output quality on the job test 23/35

Speed & friction 12/15

Value / price 14/15

Control & ownership 8/10

Momentum & community 8/10

Reliability & trust 7/10

Builder-fit 5/5

Total77/100

Pricing as found Oct 15, 2026

Plan	Price	Notes
Free (Google account)	$0	Up to 1,000 requests/day, 60/min, Flash models only since Mar 25, 2026
Google AI Pro / Ultra	Subscription	1,500 / 2,000 requests/day, Pro models
API / Vertex	Pay per token	No fixed daily cap

Prices in USD, excluding tax. Vendors change pricing often; check the official page before buying.

Patch history

Oct 16, 2026

nerf

Gemini CLI says it isn't optimized for Gemini 4 Argon

A new README banner says Gemini CLI has not been optimized for Gemini 4 Argon and points users to Antigravity for that model. It also restates that unpaid-tier and Google One users were moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026. Source

Mar 25, 2026

nerf