Gemini & Gemini Advanced

About Gemini & Gemini Advanced

What is Gemini & Gemini Advanced (2026 update)

Gemini is Google’s family of AI models and its consumer chatbot assistant at gemini.google.com, built into Search, Workspace, and Android. Gemini Advanced was the name for the paid tier that gave access to Google’s most capable models, and by 2026 Google folded that branding into a wider set of Google AI subscription plans.

What is new in 2026

Google renamed its consumer AI subscriptions in 2026: what used to be called Gemini Advanced is now Google AI Pro, sitting alongside a cheaper Google AI Plus tier and a more expensive Google AI Ultra tier. On the model side, Gemini 3 launched as what Google calls its biggest jump since Gemini 2.5, with more nuanced reasoning and much better handling of multi-step, complex instructions. Google AI Ultra subscribers get Gemini 3 Deep Think, the most advanced reasoning mode. At Google I/O 2026, Google also introduced Gemini Omni, a multimodal model that works across text, images, audio, and video, and added computer-use capabilities to Gemini 3.5 Flash so developers can build agents that operate a browser, desktop, or mobile interface directly. A voice dictation feature (press and hold the Fn key to dictate into any active window) and Grounding with Google Maps for location-aware answers also shipped in 2026.

Key features

• Gemini 3 Deep Think, an advanced multi-step reasoning mode for Ultra subscribers
• Gemini Omni, a multimodal model spanning text, image, audio, and video
• Computer-use agents that can operate browsers, desktop apps, and mobile UIs (developer-facing, via Gemini 3.5 Flash)
• Deep Research and Deep Research Max for longer, sourced research reports
• Deep integration with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Google Search inside Workspace
• Voice dictation directly into any active window on supported platforms

Pricing in 2026

Google’s consumer plans run from free to $199.99 a month, alongside separate developer API pricing.

Developer API pricing is billed separately per model, for example Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview have different per-million-token input and output rates, so check the official Gemini API pricing page for exact current per-model rates.

Who should use it

Google AI Pro at $19.99 fits most individuals who want Gemini 3, Deep Research, and Workspace integration without paying for the heaviest reasoning workloads. Google AI Ultra suits power users, researchers, and developers who need Deep Think’s advanced reasoning or the largest usage caps. Teams already living inside Gmail, Docs, and Sheets get the most value since Gemini is built directly into those apps rather than bolted on.

Limitations and alternatives

The 2026 rebrand from Gemini Advanced to Google AI Pro/Ultra has confused pricing pages across the web, and exact request limits and per-model API rates change often, so check the official Gemini pricing page before subscribing. Gemini’s computer-use and Omni features are rolling out unevenly across regions and plans. For general-purpose chat and Agent-style task completion, ChatGPT is the closest direct competitor. For research-heavy work with visible citations, Perplexity AI is a common alternative. For coding and enterprise-safety-focused workflows, Anthropic’s Claude is often compared against Gemini’s Pro and Ultra tiers.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini Advanced still a plan name in 2026?

No, Google renamed Gemini Advanced to Google AI Pro in 2026, priced at $19.99 per month, as part of a wider Google AI Plus/Pro/Ultra lineup.

How much does Google AI Ultra cost?

Google AI Ultra comes in two tiers, $99.99 per month for 5x Pro usage limits and $199.99 per month for 20x, and includes Gemini 3 Deep Think.

What model does Gemini use in September 2026?

Gemini 3 is the core model family in 2026, with Gemini 3 Deep Think for advanced reasoning and Gemini Omni for multimodal text, image, audio, and video tasks.

Is there a free version of Gemini?

Yes, the Gemini app is free to use and Gemini Flash models are also available for free through Google AI Studio with rate limits on requests per minute and per day.

Information last verified: September 2026.