Claude starts at $20/mo, Gemini at $4.99/mo. Both have a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
Pick Gemini if you want the lowest monthly bill. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
| Fact | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free tier | Free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Pro · $20/mo | Google AI Plus · $4.99/mo |
| Top plan | Max 20x · $200/mo | Google AI Ultra (20x) · $199.99/mo |
| Plans tracked | 4 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | up to 15% | None shown |
| Allowance periods | 5-hourWeekly | Monthly |
| Latest change | benefit added | price cutnew tier |
| Last checked |
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | Pro | $20/mo | More usage than Free per five-hour session plus a weekly limit across all models (resets at a fixed weekly time per account). Message counts not published; vary by message length, attachments, model. Claude Code included, sharing the same limits. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude | Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x the Pro per-session usage allowance; session limit resets every five hours; weekly limit across all models; separate weekly limit for Fable. Includes $100/month API credits. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude | Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x the Pro per-session usage allowance; five-hour session reset; weekly limit; separate Fable weekly limit. Includes $200/month API credits. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude | Enterprise | $20/mo | Usage billed at API rates. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Gemini | Google AI Plus | $4.99/mo | 2x standard (Free) usage limits; 128k context; 200 Google Flow credits; 400 GB storage. Source: gemini.google · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Gemini | Google AI Pro | $19.99/mo | 4x standard usage limits; 1M-token context; 1,000 Flow credits; higher Jules limits; entry Antigravity rate limits; $10/mo Google Cloud credits; 5 TB storage. Source: gemini.google · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Gemini | Google AI Ultra (5x) | $99.99/mo | 5x AI Pro usage limits; 10,000 Flow credits; higher Antigravity limits; YouTube Premium; from 20 TB storage. Source: gemini.google · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Gemini | Google AI Ultra (20x) | $199.99/mo | 20x AI Pro usage limits; 25,000 Flow credits; highest Antigravity limits. Source: gemini.google · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Free tier | Free $0: chat on web/desktop/mobile, web search, file creation & code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts, up to 5 Projects. Sonnet and Haiku models (no Opus); no Claude Code. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour session window; message counts not published. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Gemini | Free tier | Free $0 with a Google Account: 'standard limits' (compute-based; refresh every 5 hours until a weekly limit); 32k-token context window; limited Nano Banana Pro; 15 GB storage. Source: support.google.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
Anthropic's platform release notes: 'Claude Max and Team plans now include monthly API credits.' Credits don't cover interactive Claude Code and don't roll over.
Announced at Google I/O 2026. The top Ultra tier keeps 20x AI Pro limits at the lower price.
Announced July 28, 2025, effective Aug 28: an overall weekly limit and an Opus weekly limit, both resetting every 7 days. Anthropic estimated <5% of subscribers affected.
Gemini is cheaper to start: Google AI Plus costs $4.99/mo, against $20/mo for Claude Pro. At the top end, Claude Max 20x is $200/mo and Google AI Ultra (20x) is $199.99/mo.
Claude: Yes. Free $0: chat on web/desktop/mobile, web search, file creation & code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts, up to 5 Projects. Sonnet and Haiku models (no Opus); no Claude Code. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour session window; message counts not published. Gemini: Yes. Free $0 with a Google Account: 'standard limits' (compute-based; refresh every 5 hours until a weekly limit); 32k-token context window; limited Nano Banana Pro; 15 GB storage.
Claude Pro ($20/mo): More usage than Free per five-hour session plus a weekly limit across all models (resets at a fixed weekly time per account). Message counts not published; vary by message length, attachments, model. Claude Code included, sharing the same limits. Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo): 4x standard usage limits; 1M-token context; 1,000 Flow credits; higher Jules limits; entry Antigravity rate limits; $10/mo Google Cloud credits; 5 TB storage.
Claude: up to 15% off when billed yearly (Pro: $17/mo instead of $20). Gemini: no yearly discount on the plans we track.
7 Oct 2026, Claude: Claude Max now includes monthly API credits ($100 on Max 5x, $200 on Max 20x). 19 May 2026, Gemini: Google AI Ultra cut from $249.99 to $199.99; new $99.99 Ultra (5x Pro) tier. 28 Aug 2025, Claude: Claude Pro and Max get weekly usage limits on top of 5-hour limits.