Gemini CLI vs Claude Code: plans, models and which fits you

Claude Code and Gemini CLI are both terminal coding agents. Claude Code runs Claude models on a Claude plan or an API key. Gemini CLI is Google's open-source agent for Gemini models. Since June 18, 2026, Google offers it to Gemini Code Assist licenses and paid API keys; free and Google AI plan users moved to Antigravity CLI.

How do they compare?#

Both read your project, edit files and run commands after you approve them. The real differences are which models you want and who may use the tool.

What changed in Gemini CLI in June 2026?#

On May 19, 2026, Google announced on its Developers Blog that from June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI and the Gemini Code Assist IDE extensions would stop serving requests from Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and from people using them at no charge. Access stayed the same for:

• organizations with a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license, or Code Assist for GitHub through Google Cloud;
• paid Gemini API keys, and keys for Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, which Gemini CLI's docs still call Vertex AI.

The Gemini API has its own free tier, but Google's notice names paid keys only. Gemini CLI's sign-in page, updated on September 18, 2026, says unpaid-tier users moved to Antigravity CLI, while its quota page, last updated on June 18, 2026, still lists an unpaid key tier, so Google's pages disagree on this point. Google also says Gemini CLI is not tuned for its newest Gemini generation and should not be used to benchmark Gemini models.

Google now publishes three CLIs with similar names:

How do the plans compare?#

Claude Code is included in Anthropic's Pro, Max and Ultra plans and in Team and Enterprise seats, and its use counts toward the same plan limits as your chats in the Claude apps. Without a plan, it runs on an Anthropic API key billed per token, or through a cloud provider:

Gemini CLI no longer comes with Google's plans for individuals (Google AI Pro, Ultra or free Code Assist). Installing it is free: you pay for your organization's Code Assist license or for the tokens it uses on a paid Gemini API key.

Which models does each one run?#

Claude Code is made for Claude models, and Gemini CLI speaks only the Gemini format. So on 5abeer, Claude Code runs Claude models and Gemini CLI runs Gemini models.

These are the models Claude Code runs on 5abeer, at our price per million tokens:

In Claude Code, /model switches models during a session. The default model on 5abeer is claude-sonnet-5.5, and claude-opus-5.5 or claude-fable-5.1 take the hardest problems.

And these are the Gemini models on 5abeer, which Gemini CLI runs in the Gemini format:

Which one fits your situation?#

Using both with 5abeer#

5abeer is an independent service. It serves Claude models in the Anthropic Messages format and Gemini models in the Gemini format, so both tools work with it as they ship. Each key works with one provider's models, and both keys draw on the same balance. Every API price is below the model's official price.

1. 1

   Create two keys#

   Create a key for Claude models and a key for Gemini models, as in Create a key.

2. 2

   Set up Claude Code#

   Put these settings in ~/.claude/settings.json, with your Claude key in place of YOUR_5ABEER_API_KEY:

   settings.jsonmacOS / LinuxWindows

   Copy

   {
     "env": {
       "ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.5abeer.ai",
       "ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "YOUR_5ABEER_API_KEY",
       "ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "claude-sonnet-5.5"
     }
   }
   

   ~/.claude/settings.json

   Run claude in your project. /status shows the base URL in use. The full steps are in Claude Code setup.

3. 3

   Set up Gemini CLI#

   Put these values in ~/.gemini/.env, with your Gemini key in place of YOUR_5ABEER_API_KEY, then choose API key sign-in as in Gemini CLI setup:

   .envmacOS / LinuxWindows

   Copy

   GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://api.5abeer.ai
   GEMINI_API_KEY=YOUR_5ABEER_API_KEY
   GEMINI_MODEL=gemini-4-argon
   

   ~/.gemini/.env

   Run gemini in your project.

With a 5abeer plan, the 5abeer AI app turns Claude Code on in one click, with no key and no files to edit. 5abeer's Pro, Max (formerly Max 5x) and Ultra (formerly Max 20x) are 5abeer's plans, not Anthropic's or Google's plans with the same names. They cost less than the official plans, and the apps each one runs are in What each plan runs. The details are on the Claude Code page.

Questions#

Is Gemini CLI still free?#

The tool is free to install and open source. Google says free use ended on June 18, 2026: it now names a Gemini Code Assist license from your organization, or a paid Gemini API or Vertex AI key. The Gemini API's free tier is not on that list, and free individual use moved to Antigravity CLI.

Can each tool run the other's models?#

Not as 5abeer sets them up. Gemini CLI speaks only the Gemini format, which 5abeer serves for Gemini models only, and Claude Code on 5abeer runs the Claude models listed above. Google's gemini-api CLI lets Claude Code call Gemini as a shell command, with a key from Google AI Studio, while Claude stays the agent's model. To switch one terminal agent between Claude and Gemini models, see OpenCode.

Do they read the same project instructions?#

Not by default. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md, or AGENTS.md when the project has no CLAUDE.md (from version 2.1.277). Gemini CLI reads GEMINI.md, and you can add other names, such as AGENTS.md, with the context.fileName setting in its settings.json. With that setting and no CLAUDE.md, one AGENTS.md serves both tools.

I used Gemini CLI at no charge. What carries over if I switch?#

To Antigravity CLI, most of it. Google's migration guide says it reads the same GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md files, and agy plugin import gemini turns your extensions into Antigravity plugins. Project skills move to .agents/skills/, and MCP servers move to their own mcp_config.json. Claude Code does not read GEMINI.md, so put your instructions in AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md and add your MCP servers again, as in MCP in Claude Code.

Is Claude Code open source?#

No. Its license reserves all rights to Anthropic, and its use falls under Anthropic's Commercial Terms of Service. Gemini CLI is open source under Apache 2.0.

Sources#

Checked on 2026-11-03:

• Anthropic: Claude Code overview, Advanced setup, Manage costs, How Claude remembers your project, Use Claude Code with your Pro, Max or Ultra plan and the Claude Code license
• Google: Transitioning Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI (May 19, 2026), the Gemini CLI README, Gemini CLI authentication (updated September 18, 2026), Gemini CLI quotas and pricing (updated June 18, 2026), IDE integration, Provide context with GEMINI.md files, the Gemini API CLI README, Antigravity CLI migration, Gemini Developer API pricing and the Agent Platform release notes (the Vertex AI name change of April 22, 2026)

Get started#

See every tool 5abeer works with on the apps page and every model's price on the API page, or create a key and set up either tool.