Build with the Gemini API free tier on selected models, subject to model-specific and account limits. Check the Free Tier column before choosing a model; access to Google AI Studio does not make every model free.
Free tier on selected models with per-model rate limits; Google does not publish the numbers, which vary by usage tier
Credit card required
Card: not stated
Availability
Open
Available subject to the provider eligibility and usage conditions.
Application deadline
No deadline stated
Credit validity
Not stated by the provider
Allowance resets
See provider terms · reset time not stated · timezone not stated — Model-specific free tiers and account rate limits; no universal quota or reset timezone is stated here.
Eligibility
Anyone aged 18 or over with a Google account in a supported country or territory — Google's Gemini API terms state "You must be 18 years of age or older to use the APIs".
Current conditions
Only models explicitly marked free in the pricing table qualify.
Free-tier content may be used to improve Google products.
The source describes an active project or free trial, without an explicit blanket no-card statement.
Free input and output tokens on selected Gemini API models, with limited access rather than a universal grant. New accounts begin on the Free tier. The pricing table marks each model as free or unavailable; models such as Gemini 4 Argon are not included. Model-specific rate limits apply, and your account shows the limits relevant to your project. Free-tier content may be used to improve Google products. Google lists an active project or free trial as the Free-tier qualification and puts payment setup in the paid-tier upgrade; it does not explicitly state a blanket no-card promise.
How to claim it
Sign in to Google AI Studio with a Google account and accept the terms
Copy the API key AI Studio creates for new users (or create one from the API keys page)
Call the Gemini API on a model whose Free Tier column says 'Free of charge'
Verification history and earlier terms
This dated editorial record includes superseded conditions. Use the current facts
above for eligibility and access.
Exact per-model RPM/RPD/TPM figures vary by usage tier and are shown in AI Studio, so we do not list specific numbers. Free-tier usage may be used to improve Google's products; the paid tier does not. Re-verified 2026-07-03: Google's billing docs (ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billing) confirm the Free tier only requires an active project — linking a billing account and prepaying (min $10) is needed only for paid tiers — which supports the no-card claim; 'Google AI Studio usage is free of charge in all available regions.' Re-verified 2026-08-15: the free tier is intact and now spans a wider model line-up — the pricing page shows a Free Tier column for Gemini 3.7 Flash, 3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, 2.5 Flash, 2.5 Flash-Lite, 2.0 Flash, 2.0 Flash-Lite and the embedding models. Free-tier access is still described as requiring only an 'Active project or free trial', and the trade-off is stated plainly: 'Content used to improve our products' on the free tier, avoidable only by linking a billing account and moving to the paid tiers. Numeric rate limits remain unpublished ('Rate limits depend on a variety of factors (such as your usage tier) and can be viewed in Google AI Studio'), so we still list none. Unrelated to the free tier, Google has flagged a paid-price increase for Gemini 3.7/3.6 Flash effective 2027-01-01. Re-verified 2026-09-13: ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing still shows a Free Tier column across the Gemini model line-up (3.8/3.7/3.6/3.5 Flash, 3.5 and 3.1 Flash-Lite, 2.5 Pro/Flash/Flash-Lite, plus the Live/Transcribe/TTS/embedding models) and still states "Google AI Studio usage is free of charge in all available regions". No numeric RPM/RPD is published on the page, so we continue to omit numbers. Re-verified 2026-10-10: free tier intact. ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing (last updated 2026-10-09) still says "Start building free of charge with generous limits" and "Google AI Studio usage is free of charge in all available regions", but the Free card says "Limited access to certain models". The Free Tier column reads "Free of charge" for Gemini 3.8 Flash, 3.6 Flash, 3.5 and 3.1 Flash-Lite, 2.5 Pro/Flash/Flash-Lite, Gemma 4 and Gemini Embedding 2, and "Not available" for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Omni Flash, the Nano Banana image models, Veo 3.1 and Lyria. Gemini 3.7 Flash and 3.5 Flash are no longer listed. Numeric free-tier rate limits are still unpublished ("Rate limits depend on a variety of factors (such as your usage tier) and can be viewed in Google AI Studio" — ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/rate-limits). NO-CARD CLAIM NOT STATED: no Google page says the free tier needs no card or payment method. The billing page lists the Free tier qualification as "Active project or free trial", and the quickstart puts "add a payment method, and prepay a minimum of $5" inside the paid-tier upgrade (the minimum prepay was $10 in July), so the no-card wording was removed (ADR-0023/brief rule). Eligibility now carries the 18+ requirement from ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/available-regions: "You do not meet the minimum age requirement (18+) to access this service." New users get a project and key automatically: "Google AI Studio automatically creates a project and API key for new users." ADVERSARIALLY RE-VERIFIED 2026-10-10: all three claims UPHELD — the Free Tier column split as stated (Lyria 3.5 and Lyria 3 both 'Not available'; Batch/Flex tabs are 'Not available' on the free tier even for free models); 18+ stated directly in the Gemini API Additional Terms (Effective March 23, 2026): 'You must be 18 years of age or older to use the APIs'; and zero Google pages state the free tier needs no card. cardRequired → null and the no-card tag removed (ADR-0037). Re-verified 2026-10-21 in the audit-remediation source sweep: current primary offer page and the material eligibility, validity, unit and payment evidence recorded in SOURCE-VERIFICATION.csv. Historical notes above are retained as history, not current terms. No account was created and no claim was submitted.
Eligible US college students get 12 months of Google AI Pro free. Read the terms: it is consumer Gemini app access rather than API credits, a payment method is required at sign-up, and it auto-charges $19.99/month afterwards.
Free value
No fixed amount
Card required
Card: conditional A valid form of payment is required to redeem the subscription; the terms do not require a card specifically for every supported payment route.
Application deadline
31 Dec 2026
Credit validity
12 months after activation — The period begins when the offer is redeemed.
Who
"The free Google AI Pro student offer is available to eligible U.S. college students ages 18+." Both new users and students whose 2025 AI Pro trial has expired can qualify. You verify student status through SheerID, use a personal Google Account, and "Eligibility must be verified each year to maintain access." The offer must be redeemed by 31 December 2026.
Available subject to the provider eligibility and usage conditions.