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

> How Gemini CLI and Claude Code compare on access, models and setup, what changed in Gemini CLI in June 2026, and which tool fits your situation.

Updated: 2026-11-03

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?

|  | Claude Code | Gemini CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Made by | Anthropic | Google |
| License | Proprietary, under Anthropic's Commercial Terms of Service | Open source, Apache 2.0 |
| Models | Claude models | Gemini models |
| Who can use it | Claude plan subscribers, Anthropic API accounts and cloud providers | Organizations with a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license or Code Assist for GitHub on Google Cloud, and paid Gemini API or Vertex AI keys |
| Where it runs | Terminal, VS Code and Cursor, JetBrains, a desktop app and the web | Terminal, VS Code and editors built on it, plus JetBrains IDEs and Zed through the Agent Client Protocol |
| Install | Native installer, Homebrew, WinGet, apt, dnf, apk or npm | npm, Homebrew, MacPorts or conda |
| Project instructions | `CLAUDE.md`, or `AGENTS.md` when there is no `CLAUDE.md` | `GEMINI.md`, or other names set in `settings.json` |
| Extending it | MCP, skills, hooks and subagents | MCP, extensions, custom commands, Agent Skills, hooks and experimental subagents |
| Scripted runs | `claude -p` | `gemini -p`, with `--output-format json` |

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:

| Command | What Google says it is for |
| --- | --- |
| `agy` (Antigravity CLI) | Google's interactive coding agent for the terminal, for free and Google AI Pro and Ultra accounts, for Google Cloud and for the newest Gemini models. See [Google Antigravity explained](https://5abeer.ai/en/guides/google-antigravity-guide). |
| `gemini-api` (Gemini API CLI) | Not a coding agent. It gives agents such as Claude Code, and your scripts, shell commands for Gemini models, media generation and file analysis, with a Gemini API key. |
| `gemini` (Gemini CLI) | Organizations on Gemini Code Assist, plus paid Gemini API and Vertex AI keys. |

## 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:

Claude individual plans (official prices)

| Service | Item | Value | Note | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Claude | Pro, billed monthly | $20 a month | Includes Claude Code. | https://claude.com/pricing |
| Claude | Pro, billed yearly up front | $200 a year | Includes Claude Code. | https://claude.com/pricing |
| Claude | Max | $100 a month | 5x Pro usage every 5 hours and every week; includes Claude Code. | https://claude.com/pricing |
| Claude | Ultra | $200 a month | 10x Pro usage every week, no 5-hour limit for verified accounts; includes Claude Code. | https://claude.com/pricing |
| Anthropic | API usage with a paid plan | Billed separately from the plan | Max and Ultra include monthly API credits. | https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9876003 |

Each row links to the page it comes from, checked October 31, 2026, November 1, 2026. These figures can change, so check the source before you buy.

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:

| Model | Id | Input (ours) | Output (ours) | Context |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | `claude-sonnet-5.5` | $0.60 | $3 | 1M |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | `claude-opus-5.5` | $1.20 | $6 | 1M |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | `claude-fable-5.1` | $3 | $15 | — |
| Claude Fable 5 | `claude-fable-5` | $3 | $15 | 1M |
| Claude Opus 4.6 | `claude-opus-4.6` | $1.50 | $7.50 | 1M |
| Claude Opus 5 | `claude-opus-5` | $1.50 | $7.50 | 1M |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | `claude-sonnet-5` | $0.60 | $3 | 1M |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | `claude-sonnet-4.6` | $0.90 | $4.50 | 1M |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | `claude-haiku-4.5` | $0.30 | $1.50 | 200K |

In Claude Code, `/model` switches models during a session. The default model on 5abeer is [`claude-sonnet-5.5`](https://5abeer.ai/en/models/claude-sonnet-5.5), and [`claude-opus-5.5`](https://5abeer.ai/en/models/claude-opus-5.5) or [`claude-fable-5.1`](https://5abeer.ai/en/models/claude-fable-5.1) take the hardest problems.

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

| Model | Id | Input (ours) | Output (ours) | Context |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Gemini 4 Argon | `gemini-4-argon` | $0.60 | $3 | — |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | `gemini-2.5-pro` | $0.38 | $3 | 1M |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | `gemini-3.8-flash` | $0.23 | $1.13 | — |
| Gemini 3 Flash | `gemini-3-flash` | $0.15 | $0.90 | 1M |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | `gemini-3.1-pro` | $0.60 | $3.60 | 1M |

## Which one fits your situation?

| Your situation | The tool that fits |
| --- | --- |
| Your company gives you a Gemini Code Assist license | Gemini CLI, signed in with Google and your Google Cloud project |
| You used Gemini CLI at no charge or with Google AI Pro or Ultra | Antigravity CLI, where Google moved that access |
| You want Gemini models on a paid API key | Gemini CLI with API key sign-in |
| You want Claude models | Claude Code, on a Claude plan or an API key |
| You want Claude and Gemini models side by side | Both, with separate settings in `~/.claude` and `~/.gemini` |

## 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. Create two keys

Create a key for Claude models and a key for Gemini models, as in [Create a key](https://5abeer.ai/en/docs/start/keys.md#create).

### 2. Set up Claude Code

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

`~/.claude/settings.json`

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

Run `claude` in your project. `/status` shows the base URL in use. The full steps are in [Claude Code setup](https://5abeer.ai/en/docs/apps/claude-code.md).

### 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](https://5abeer.ai/en/docs/apps/gemini-cli.md#auth):

`~/.gemini/.env`

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

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](https://5abeer.ai/en/docs/subscriptions/plan-apps.md#claude-code). The details are on the [Claude Code page](https://5abeer.ai/en/apps/claude-code).

Current 5abeer Bundle plan prices are on the pricing page: https://5abeer.ai/en/pricing

## 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](https://5abeer.ai/en/apps/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](https://5abeer.ai/en/guides/claude-code-mcp).

### 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](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview), [Advanced setup](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup), [Manage costs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/costs), [How Claude remembers your project](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory), [Use Claude Code with your Pro, Max or Ultra plan](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-using-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan) and the [Claude Code license](https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/LICENSE.md)
- Google: [Transitioning Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI](https://developers.googleblog.com/an-important-update-transitioning-gemini-cli-to-antigravity-cli/) (May 19, 2026), the [Gemini CLI README](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli), [Gemini CLI authentication](https://geminicli.com/docs/get-started/authentication) (updated September 18, 2026), [Gemini CLI quotas and pricing](https://geminicli.com/docs/resources/quota-and-pricing) (updated June 18, 2026), [IDE integration](https://geminicli.com/docs/ide-integration/), [Provide context with GEMINI.md files](https://geminicli.com/docs/cli/gemini-md), the [Gemini API CLI README](https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-api-cli), [Antigravity CLI migration](https://antigravity.google/docs/cli/gcli-migration), [Gemini Developer API pricing](https://aistudio.google.com/docs/pricing) and the [Agent Platform release notes](https://docs.cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise-agent-platform/release-notes) (the Vertex AI name change of April 22, 2026)

> 5abeer is an independent service, not affiliated with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google.

## Get started

See every tool 5abeer works with on the [apps page](https://5abeer.ai/en/apps) and every model's price on the [API page](https://5abeer.ai/en/api), or create a key and set up either tool.