Free
$0
Comparison · prices checked every day
Claude vs Gemini: which is worth paying for?
The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.
The short answer
Choose Claude if…
- you need Claude Code, Claude Science, and Opus access for daily work
- you want to use Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365
- you prefer a $20/month Pro plan with higher usage limits
Choose Gemini if…
Our pick for most people
- you want the best value with 400 GB of storage for $4.99/month
- you need 5 TB of storage for $19.99/month
- you want to use Gemini directly in Gmail, Docs, and Chrome
Bottom line: Gemini Plus is the best value for most users.
Key differences
- Claude Pro costs $20/month or $200/year. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (claude.com), checked Sep 29, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Gemini Google AI Plus costs $4.99/month and includes 400 GB of storage. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (gemini.google), checked Sep 30, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Gemini Google AI Pro costs $19.99/month and includes 5 TB of storage. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (gemini.google), checked Sep 30, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Claude Pro includes Claude Code and Claude Science. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (claude.com), checked Sep 29, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Gemini Google AI Plus includes Google Flow and Daily Brief. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (gemini.google), checked Sep 30, 2026.Go to sources ↓
Plans and limits side by side
| Plans | Claude | Gemini |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free $0 | Free $0Storage 15 GB |
| Paid plans | Pro $20/mo or $200/yrMax 5x $100/moMax 20x $200/mo | Google AI Plus $4.99/moStorage 400 GBGoogle AI Pro $19.99/moStorage 5 TBGoogle AI Ultra $99.99/moStorage 20 TB |
| Business plans | Standard seat $25/user/mo or $240/user/yrPremium seat $125/user/mo or $1,200/user/yrEnterprise Custom | Gemini Enterprise Business $21/user/moSeats 300, Storage 25 GiB per seatGemini Enterprise Standard / Plus $30/user/moSeats Unlimited, Storage 75 GiB per seat |
From each vendor's own pricing page · Claude checked Oct 2, 2026 · Gemini checked Oct 1, 2026.
Our tests
Scores out of 10 on the same tasks of our public test suite ("Chat assistants", version 2), run hands-on in each app, scored by the same blind judges.
| Task | Claude · paid tier | Gemini · free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Decline a meeting politely | 9.3/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Summarize a text in 3 bullets | 9.8/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Work out an arrival time | 9.9/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Solve a small logic puzzle | 8.0/10 | 8.6/10 |
| Extract data as JSON | 10.0/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Write a small Python function | 9.7/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Explain a concept to a 12-year-old | 9.8/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Rewrite a blunt message | 8.7/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Translate into Spanish | 9.3/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Make a 5-day beginner plan | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Write a 3-sentence product text | 9.7/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Admit what it cannot know | 9.4/10 | 9.4/10 |
| Average | 9.4/10 | 9.5/10 |
In our hands-on tests of the Chat assistants suite, Gemini Free scored 9.8/10 on the email-decline task 9.8Our test · free tierGemini · Decline a meeting politely: 9.8/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.3/10 on the same task 9.3Our test · paid tierClaude · Decline a meeting politely: 9.3/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.7/10 on the summary-three-bullets task 9.7Our test · free tierGemini · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.7/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.8/10 on that task 9.8Our test · paid tierClaude · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.8/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.8/10 on the travel-time task 9.8Our test · free tierGemini · Work out an arrival time: 9.8/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.9/10 on that task 9.9Our test · paid tierClaude · Work out an arrival time: 9.9/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 8.6/10 on the logic-pets task 8.6Our test · free tierGemini · Solve a small logic puzzle: 8.6/10, 2 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 8.0/10 on that task 8.0Our test · paid tierClaude · Solve a small logic puzzle: 8.0/10, 1 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.5/10 on the json-order task 9.5Our test · free tierGemini · Extract data as JSON: 9.5/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 10.0/10 on that task 10.0Our test · paid tierClaude · Extract data as JSON: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 10.0/10 on the python-function task 10.0Our test · free tierGemini · Write a small Python function: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.7/10 on that task 9.7Our test · paid tierClaude · Write a small Python function: 9.7/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.7/10 on the explain-kid task 9.7Our test · free tierGemini · Explain a concept to a 12-year-old: 9.7/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.8/10 on that task 9.8Our test · paid tierClaude · Explain a concept to a 12-year-old: 9.8/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 8.2/10 on the rewrite-tone task 8.2Our test · free tierGemini · Rewrite a blunt message: 8.2/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 8.7/10 on that task 8.7Our test · paid tierClaude · Rewrite a blunt message: 8.7/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.7/10 on the translate-es task 9.7Our test · free tierGemini · Translate into Spanish: 9.7/10, 5 of 5 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.3/10 on that task 9.3Our test · paid tierClaude · Translate into Spanish: 9.3/10, 4 of 5 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.5/10 on the running-plan task 9.5Our test · free tierGemini · Make a 5-day beginner plan: 9.5/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.5/10 on that task 9.5Our test · paid tierClaude · Make a 5-day beginner plan: 9.5/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.8/10 on the product-three-sentences task 9.8Our test · free tierGemini · Write a 3-sentence product text: 9.8/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.7/10 on that task 9.7Our test · paid tierClaude · Write a 3-sentence product text: 9.7/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.4/10 on the unknown-paper task 9.4Our test · free tierGemini · Admit what it cannot know: 9.4/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Claude Max scored 9.4/10 on that task 9.4Our test · paid tierClaude · Admit what it cannot know: 9.4/10, 1 of 1 checks passed.Read the answer ↓.
What users say
Claude
One Reddit user says they used Claude to fix their frustration with PDFs for a mortgage application RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jun 26, 2026See the report ↓. Another Reddit user notes that using Plan mode with Claude helps them write Pull Requests RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jan 2, 2026See the report ↓. A user on Reddit mentions using Claude Fable to mash game genres RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jun 12, 2026See the report ↓. On Hacker News, a user reports that Claude Code's source code was leaked via a map file HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Mar 31, 2026See the report ↓. Another Hacker News user says Claude Code is unusable for complex engineering tasks with Feb updates HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Apr 6, 2026See the report ↓. A Reddit user jokes about trying to access Fable 5 in Claude Code RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/ClaudeAI, posted Jun 13, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (6)
I used Claude to fix my biggest frustration with PDFs My bank asked for 17 PDF documents regarding my mortgage application. I got tired of opening and closing files and keeping track of things. …
… If my goal is to write a Pull Request, I will use Plan mode, and go back and forth with Claude until I like its plan. From there, I switch into auto-accept edits mode and Claude can usually 1-shot it. A good plan is really important. …
My favorite thing right now is to use Claude Fable to mash game genres. Here's Tetris as a Racing game!
Claude Code's source code has been leaked via a map file in their NPM registry. Related ongoing thread: The Claude Code Source Leak: fake tools, frustration regexes, undercover mode -
Issue: Claude Code is unusable for complex engineering tasks with Feb updates
Any USA citizen wanna marry me? I’m tryna access Fable 5 in claude code
Gemini
A Reddit user says Gemini 3.5 pro will destroy everyone RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/GeminiAI, posted Jun 28, 2026See the report ↓. Another Reddit user claims Gemini 3.5 pro is so bad the US government intervened RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/singularity, posted Jun 27, 2026See the report ↓. A Reddit user says Open source is better than Gemini Pro RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/GeminiAI, posted Jun 20, 2026See the report ↓. On Hacker News, a user says getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Dec 10, 2025See the report ↓. A Reddit user reports hitting 100% usage with Gemini Pro after 8 minutes of chatting RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/GeminiAI, posted May 19, 2026See the report ↓. Another Reddit user says Gemini added a way to import ChatGPT chats RedditUser report · mixed · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Feb 7, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (6)
The new gemini logo has been released 3.5 pro will destroy everyone
Breaking news! Gemini 3.5 pro so ass the US government intervened to keep it out of the US!
It's official. Open source is better than Gemini Pro. Source: artificialanalysis ai
Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration
8 minutes of chatting with Pro and I'm at 100% usage with this new update. Is this a joke? Pro subscription btw
GPT added ads, Gemini added a way for you to import chatGPT chats into their model to continue conversations Even though you could already do this easily with any chrome extension available or make your own.
Questions people ask
Which plan is better value?
Gemini Google AI Plus at $4.99/month offers 400 GB of storage, which is significantly more than the free tier's 15 GB. Claude Pro costs $20/month.
Does Claude have a free plan?
Yes, Claude has a free plan for everyone. Gemini also has a free plan with 15 GB of storage.
What coding tools are included?
Claude Pro includes Claude Code and Claude Science. Gemini plans include access to Jules and Google Antigravity.
How much storage does Gemini Pro offer?
Gemini Google AI Pro includes 5 TB of cloud storage. Claude plans do not list specific storage limits in the same way.
Sources
Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.
Claude
- Pricing page · checked Sep 29, 2026claude.com/pricing ↩ text
- Pricing pagesupport.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan
- Limits pagesupport.claude.com/en/articles/11647753-how-do-usage-and-le…
Gemini
- Pricing page · checked Sep 30, 2026gemini.google/us/subscriptions ↩ text
Each tool's verdict and plans
Claude
YES YES — worth paying for
Claude Pro is worth it for daily users who need Opus, Claude Code, and higher usage limits.
Tested by us on Sep 28, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $20/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.4/10
Our test (hands-on): paid tier 9.4/10, as of Sep 28, 2026
Pro
$20/mo
or $200/yr
Max 5x
$100/mo
Max 20x
$200/mo
Standard seat
$25/user/mo
or $240/user/yr
Premium seat
$125/user/mo
or $1,200/user/yr
Enterprise
Custom
Gemini
YES YES — worth paying for
Storage jumps from 15 GB to 400 GB for $4.99, making Plus the best value for most users.
Tested by us on Sep 30, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $4.99/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.2/10
Our test (API): free tier 9.2/10, as of Sep 30, 2026
Free
$0
Google AI Plus
$4.99/mo
Google AI Pro
$19.99/mo
Google AI Ultra
$99.99/mo
Gemini Enterprise Business
$21/user/mo
Gemini Enterprise Standard / Plus
$30/user/mo
How we make money
The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure