Google Gemini

Google Gemini is Google's proprietary large language model platform, providing API access to a tiered family of models ranging from lightweight, cost-optimised Flash variants to frontier-class Pro models with extended reasoning. It is built natively multimodal — handling text, images, video, audio, and code within a single model — and is notable for offering the largest standard context windows in the industry.

Model families (as of mid-2026):

• Gemini 3.1 Pro — Google's current frontier model with a standard 1M-token context window (extendable to 2M tokens). Leads on reasoning benchmarks including 77.1% on ARC-AGI-2, and outperforms GPT-5.4 on GPQA Diamond (94.3% vs 92.8%). Best for complex reasoning, long-document analysis, and research-grade tasks.
• Gemini 2.5 Pro — The established production-grade Pro model with 1M-token context, tiered pricing at $1.25/$10 per million input/output tokens (up to 200K context), rising to $2.50/$15 per million beyond 200K. Strong coding and reasoning performance.
• Gemini 2.5 Flash — The primary speed-performance sweet spot model, with 1M-token context, priced at $0.30/$2.50 per million input/output tokens. Among the most cost-effective production-capable models available.
• Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite / 3.1 Flash-Lite — Ultra-low-cost variants for high-throughput, latency-sensitive workloads. Available on the free tier in AI Studio.
• Gemini 2.0 Flash — A previous-generation balanced model still widely used in production, now largely superseded by the 2.5 series.

Access methods:

• Google AI Studio — Browser-based prompt playground and prototype environment, fully free with no subscription fees. Includes a generous free tier: up to 1,500 requests/day on Flash models for development and testing.
• Gemini API (direct) — REST and gRPC API with official SDKs for Python, JavaScript, Go, and more. Enables pay-as-you-go access to all models.
• Google Cloud Vertex AI / Agent Platform — Enterprise-grade access with higher rate limits, data residency controls, VPC Service Controls, custom fine-tuning, SLAs, and no data-sharing clause. Formerly called Vertex AI, rebranded as the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform.
• Embedded in Google products — Gemini powers Google Search AI Overviews, Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Sheets), Android, and Google Assistant.

Gemini's free tier via AI Studio is a competitive differentiator: developers can prototype with flagship Flash models at no cost, while OpenAI and Anthropic charge from the first API request. The Vertex AI path (now Agent Platform) provides the enterprise compliance and residency controls needed for regulated industries.