Gemini API
by Google
#4 in Model APIs & token credits
The best free start I know. Build on Gemini 3.8 Flash at no cost in Google AI Studio, then prepay $5 when you need higher limits or Pro models.
What’s good
- Free tier, no billing setup needed
- Gemini 3.8 Flash is free to try
- Batch API cuts costs by 50%
Heads-up
- Free-tier prompts help improve Google products
- Gemini 3.8 Flash prices double on Jan 1, 2027
The details
- Best for
- Builders who want to prototype free before paying for tokens
- Price
- Free tier, then pay as you go (Pay per token; prepaid credits from $5)
- Free plan
- Free tier with rate limits in Google AI Studio
- Skill level
- Built for pros
- Made by
- Website
- ai.google.dev
- Price checked
- Oct 1, 2026
Where it ranks
Compare with similar picks
| Rank in Model APIs & token credits | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $10 per 1M tokens (2x for prompts over 272K tokens) in · $50 per 1M tokens (1.5x for prompts over 272K tokens) out | $4 per 1M tokens in · $20 per 1M tokens out | Pay per token | $0.75 per 1M tokens through Dec 31, 2026 ($1.50 from Jan 1, 2027) in · $3.75 per 1M tokens through Dec 31, 2026 ($7.50 from Jan 1, 2027) out |
| Flagship model | GPT-6 Astra (gpt-6-astra) | Claude Opus 5.5 (claude-opus-5-5) | Not published | Gemini 3.8 Flash (gemini-3.8-flash) |
| Input price | $10 per 1M tokens (2x for prompts over 272K tokens) | $4 per 1M tokens | Not published | $0.75 per 1M tokens through Dec 31, 2026 ($1.50 from Jan 1, 2027) |
| Output price | $50 per 1M tokens (1.5x for prompts over 272K tokens) | $20 per 1M tokens | Not published | $3.75 per 1M tokens through Dec 31, 2026 ($7.50 from Jan 1, 2027) |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 1M tokens | Not published | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Free tier | A Free usage tier exists in allowed regions, but GPT-6 Astra isn't available on it | New users get a small amount of free credits to test the API | Free plan: 25+ free models, 50 requests/day | Free tier: free input and output tokens on certain models, within free rate limits |
| Billing | Pay-as-you-go; usage tiers by amount paid (Tier 1 at $5 paid); spend limits | Usage-based; card or invoicing; monthly spend caps by tier (Start tier $500) | Prepaid credits at provider list prices; 5.5% fee on credit purchases; no minimum | Prepay at least $5 of credits to enter Paid tier; tier spend caps (Tier 1 $250) |
| Your data | Not used for training unless you opt in; abuse-monitoring logs kept up to 30 days | Not used for training without permission; inputs/outputs deleted within 30 days | Does not train on your data; zero-data-retention routing on every plan | Free-tier content used to improve Google products; paid-tier content is not |
| Best for | Builders who want GPT models plus image, voice and realtime APIs | Developers building coding tools and long-running agents | Builders who want every major model behind one API key | Builders who want to prototype free before paying for tokens |
| Skill level | Built for pros | Built for pros | Built for pros | Built for pros |
| Try it | Try it free | Try it free | Try it free |
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