Claude Code vs Gemini CLI: Pricing, Access and Which to Pick
Two terminal coding agents compared after Google moved consumers to Antigravity CLI: who can still use Gemini CLI, what each costs, limits, models and privacy.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
For individual developers, Claude Code is the clear pick: Gemini CLI stopped serving free and consumer Google accounts on June 18, 2026, while Claude Code comes with Claude Pro at $20. For companies on Google Cloud, Gemini Code Assist ($19 to $22.80 a seat) with Gemini CLI wins on published daily quotas, IP indemnity and certifications.
Gemini CLI and Code Assist3.7From $22.80 per user per month (per seat subscription)
Visit Gemini CLI and Code AssistSide by side
| Spec | Claude Code | Gemini CLI and Code Assist |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 4.4 | 3.7 |
| Starting price | $20 per month | $22.80 per user per month |
| Pricing model | per seat subscription | per seat subscription |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Price | $20 per month (Pro); Max $100 or $200 | Code Assist Standard $22.80 monthly or $19 annually; Enterprise $54 or $45 |
| Models | Claude Opus, Sonnet and Haiku; Fable via usage credits | Google Gemini models only; CLI not optimized for Gemini 4 Argon per its README |
| IDE support | VS Code, Cursor (extension), JetBrains, desktop app, web | VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Cloud Workstations, Cloud Shell Editor |
| Terminal agent | Yes, the core product is a terminal CLI | Yes, Gemini CLI (open source); consumers moved to Antigravity CLI |
| Usage limits | Per 5 hour session: Pro at least 5x Free, Max 5x or 20x Pro | Standard 1,500 and Enterprise 2,000 agent and CLI requests per user per day |
| Team plan | Team $25 per seat monthly or $20 annually; Enterprise $20 per seat plus API usage | Standard and Enterprise per user licenses through Google Cloud |
The short answer
A year ago this was a price fight, with Gemini CLI's free tier against Claude Code's $20 plan. That fight is over. Google moved free, Google One and Google AI Pro and Ultra users to Antigravity CLI, and Gemini CLI now serves only paid Code Assist licenses and paid API keys.
- Choose Claude Code if you are an individual, a small team, or you want Claude models, IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains, a desktop app and the Claude chat apps on one plan.
- Choose Gemini CLI with Code Assist if your company runs on Google Cloud, wants a published daily quota per user, needs IP indemnification and SOC and ISO paperwork, or uses Firebase, BigQuery or Apigee.
- If you are a Google AI Pro subscriber, the Google option for you is now Antigravity CLI, which we have not reviewed here.
Pricing
| Claude Code | Gemini CLI and Code Assist | |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Not on Claude Free | CLI software free; consumer sign in ended June 18, 2026 |
| Individual | Claude Pro $20, or $17 a month annually | Code Assist Standard $22.80, or $19 annually |
| Heavy | Max 5x $100, Max 20x $200 | Enterprise $54, or $45 annually |
| Team seat | $25, or $20 annually | $22.80, or $19 annually |
| Pay as you go | Console API key or third party providers | Paid Gemini API key or Vertex AI |
| Annual savings | Pro and Team | Standard and Enterprise |
Prices as listed on claude.com/pricing and codeassist.google in October 2026.
One developer, one year. Claude Pro annual: $200. Code Assist Standard annual: $228.
Team of 20, annual. Claude Team Standard: $4,800 a year. Code Assist Standard: $4,560. Code Assist Enterprise: $10,800.
Models and features
| Claude Code | Gemini CLI and Code Assist | |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Claude Opus, Sonnet, Haiku; Fable via credits | Gemini; README says the CLI is not optimized for Gemini 4 Argon |
| Terminal | Proprietary CLI | Open source CLI, Apache 2.0, weekly releases |
| IDEs | VS Code, Cursor (extension), JetBrains | VS Code, JetBrains, Cloud Workstations, Cloud Shell |
| Desktop and web | Desktop app and web | Not applicable |
| Agent mode in IDE | Yes | Preview |
| Cloud integration | Third party providers such as Bedrock | Firebase, BigQuery, Colab Enterprise, Apigee, Application Integration |
| Code review | Not listed on the plan | Code Assist on GitHub, at least 100 PR reviews a day |
| Usage published | No fixed count; 5 hour window plus weekly | 1,500 (Standard) or 2,000 (Enterprise) requests per user per day |
| VS Code rating | 3.7 from 829 | 1.9 from 905 |
Head to head scenarios
Solo developer or hobbyist
Winner: Claude Code. Gemini CLI no longer works on free or consumer Google accounts. Claude Pro at $20, or $200 a year, includes Claude Code in every surface plus the Claude apps.
Company standardized on Google Cloud
Winner: Gemini CLI and Code Assist. Licenses bill through Google Cloud, quotas are published per user per day, and Code Assist plugs into Firebase, BigQuery, Apigee and Application Integration. VPC Service Controls and IAM permissions fit existing cloud governance.
Compliance heavy procurement
Winner: Gemini CLI and Code Assist. Google lists SOC 1, 2 and 3 and ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701, source citations for long quotations, and IP indemnification for licensed users. Claude Enterprise has strong controls too, but Google's published list is longer and indemnity is explicit on the Code Assist page.
Using the newest models
Winner: Claude Code. Claude Code runs Anthropic's current Opus, Sonnet and Haiku on its plans. Google's own README says Gemini CLI is not optimized for Gemini 4 Argon and points to Antigravity for that.
Open source and auditability
Winner: Gemini CLI. It is Apache 2.0 with about 107,400 GitHub stars and public weekly releases. You can read and fork the harness, which you cannot do with Claude Code's CLI.
Working in an IDE as well as the terminal
Winner: Claude Code. Its VS Code extension rates 3.7 from 829 reviews and adds a desktop app and web version. Gemini Code Assist's VS Code extension rates 1.9 from 905.
Privacy
Gemini Code Assist. Google's data governance policy says customer code, inputs and generated recommendations are not used to train shared models or develop products, and customers own their data and IP. Private Google Access and VPC Service Controls are available. If you run Gemini CLI on a Gemini API key, that key's API terms apply instead.
Claude Code. Team and Enterprise have no model training on your content by default. Free, Pro and Max users choose a training setting that also covers Claude Code sessions: on means use for training with five year retention, off means 30 day retention.
For companies, both are training free by default on business plans. For individuals, only Claude Code is still available on a personal plan, so check its setting.
Verdict
Claude Code wins for individuals and most small teams (four of six scenarios), mainly because Gemini CLI is no longer open to consumer accounts and its IDE extension is poorly rated. Gemini CLI with Code Assist wins for Google Cloud companies and compliance led buyers, with published daily quotas, a long certification list, IP indemnity and an open source CLI. If you came here looking for Gemini CLI's old free tier, it is gone; compare Claude Code, Codex and GitHub Copilot instead. Full detail in our Gemini CLI review and Claude Code review.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Code better than Gemini CLI?
For individuals, Claude Code is the practical choice, because Gemini CLI no longer serves free or consumer Google accounts and Claude Code comes with Claude Pro at $20. For companies on Google Cloud that need published daily quotas, IP indemnity and Google's certifications, Gemini Code Assist with Gemini CLI is a solid alternative.
Is Gemini CLI still free?
The software is free and open source, but signing in with a free or consumer Google account stopped working on June 18, 2026. You now need a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license, or a paid Gemini API or Vertex AI key.
What is Antigravity CLI?
Google's replacement terminal agent for consumers, part of the Google Antigravity platform. It keeps Agent Skills, Hooks, Subagents and Extensions from Gemini CLI, is written in Go, and shares an agent harness with the Antigravity 2.0 desktop app. Google says it will not have one to one feature parity at first.
Which is cheaper for a team?
Claude Team Standard is $25 per seat monthly or $20 annually. Gemini Code Assist Standard is $22.80 monthly or $19 annually. On annual billing Gemini is $1 a seat cheaper; on monthly billing it is $2.20 cheaper. Claude Team also includes the Claude chat apps.
Which has clearer usage limits?
Gemini Code Assist. Google publishes a combined daily quota for agent mode and Gemini CLI of 1,500 requests per user on Standard and 2,000 on Enterprise, noting one prompt can trigger several requests. Anthropic says usage resets on a rolling 5 hour window with weekly limits but gives no fixed count.
Does either train on my code?
Google says Code Assist customer code, inputs and recommendations are not used to train shared models. Anthropic does not train on Team or Enterprise content by default, while Free, Pro and Max users choose a training setting that also covers Claude Code sessions.
Can Gemini CLI use Claude models?
No. Gemini CLI and Code Assist use Google's Gemini models. Claude Code on a subscription uses Claude models. If you want both labs in one tool, GitHub Copilot includes Claude and Gemini models in its credits.