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Free tier/Report for October 2026

Google Gemini API

Free API tier limits · LLM inference

Free tier on Flash, Flash-Lite, 2.5 Pro, Gemma 4 and embeddings; newest flagship (Gemini 4 Argon) is paid-only.

Card not requiredVerified Oct 21, 20263 official sourcesLLM inference
—requests / minute · unverified
—requests / day · unverified
—tokens / minute · unverified
No cardneeded to start

Free allowance

Input & output tokens 'Free of charge' on eligible models; per-model RPM/TPM/RPD limits are shown only inside Google AI Studio. Grounding with Google Search: 500 RPD free (shared for Flash and Flash-Lite).

Free-tier numbers are no longer published on the docs page — view them in AI Studio. RPD resets at midnight Pacific.

Payment method. Rate-limits doc: Free tier qualification is 'Active project or free trial'; linking a billing account moves you to Tier 1.

Models on the free offer

gemini-3.8-flashgemini-3.6-flashgemini-3.5-flash-litegemini-3.1-flash-litegemini-3-flash-previewgemini-2.5-progemini-2.5-flashgemini-2.5-flash-litegemini-embedding-2Gemma 4gemini-3.8-flash-tts

Worth knowing

  • Not free: Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Nano Banana image models, Veo, Lyria.
  • Free-tier content may be used to improve Google products (pricing page).
  • Deprecations page: access to 2.5 models is being limited to users who used them before; new projects are pointed to 3.5 Flash-Lite / 3.8 Flash.
  • The 9 Oct 2026 'free Gemini is Flash-Lite only' news concerns the Gemini consumer app, not the API.
Left blank on purpose: requests per minute, requests per day, tokens per minute. No official public source as of Oct 21, 2026.

Change history

Gemini 4 Argon is not available on the Free tierGemini 2.5 models limited to existing usersGemini app goes Flash-Lite-only for free users — the API free tier is separate

Questions

Does Google Gemini API have a free API tier?
Free tier. Free tier on Flash, Flash-Lite, 2.5 Pro, Gemma 4 and embeddings; newest flagship (Gemini 4 Argon) is paid-only.
Does Google Gemini API require a credit card?
No — based on the official docs, you can start without a payment method. Rate-limits doc: Free tier qualification is 'Active project or free trial'; linking a billing account moves you to Tier 1.
What are Google Gemini API's free rate limits?
Free-tier numbers are no longer published on the docs page — view them in AI Studio. RPD resets at midnight Pacific.
When was this Google Gemini API data last verified?
Oct 21, 2026, against: Gemini API pricing; Rate limits; Deprecations.