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Gemini CLI

ActiveOpen sourceLast updated 5 October 2026 · Robert Levandovsky

Verdict

Evidence: Editorial assessment

Gemini CLI is Google's open-source terminal agent and the easiest coding agent to try for free: a personal Google account gets 60 requests a minute and 1,000 a day. It suits developers who want a no-cost terminal agent; teams needing admin controls should check Google's paid options.

Quick facts

Gemini CLI
MakerGoogle
CategoryAI Coding Assistants
Pricing modelOpen source
StatusActive
Official sitegithub.com
Data last checked5 October 2026

Key facts and sources

Verified = read on the provider's own page. Reported = third-party source, not yet confirmed. Claimed by provider = vendor claim, not tested by aixjo.
ClaimDetailEvidenceSource
What it is, licence and free tierGoogle describes Gemini CLI as an open-source AI agent that brings Gemini into the terminal. Apache License 2.0. Free tier with a personal Google account: 60 requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day.Verifiedgoogle-gemini/gemini-cli on GitHub, 5 October 2026

Pricing

No prices are shown because we have not confirmed them on Gemini CLI's own pricing page. Go to Gemini CLI

Who should use it

  • Trying a terminal coding agent at no cost
  • Developers who prefer an Apache-2.0 client they can inspect

Who should skip it

  • You need an editor-integrated assistant with autocomplete

Limitations and risks

  • Free-tier limits apply per personal Google account.
  • Which Gemini model the free tier uses was not confirmed (Google's model pages were unreachable).

How it compares: Gemini CLI alternatives

Claude Code

Anthropic's agentic coding tool that works in the terminal, in IDEs and on GitHub, editing files, running commands and handling git workflows.

Paid onlyChecked Oct 2026

OpenAI Codex

OpenAI's coding agent; the open-source Codex CLI runs in the terminal and is included with paid ChatGPT plans or usable with an API key.

Paid onlyChecked Oct 2026

GitHub Copilot

GitHub's AI coding assistant for code completion, chat, code review and agent tasks in major editors and on GitHub.

Free plan availableChecked Oct 2026

Cursor

An AI code editor built on VS Code, with in-editor chat, multi-file agent edits and background agents.

Free plan availableChecked Oct 2026

Shipable AI

Listed as a tool that automates parts of building and shipping code.

Free trialChecked Jun 2026

Rating

Not yet rated. We show a rating only when at least four of six criteria have documented evidence. How we rate AI tools

Common questions

Is Gemini CLI free?

Yes, with limits: 60 requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day when you sign in with a personal Google account, according to the project's README.

Is Gemini CLI open source?

Yes, it is published on GitHub under the Apache License 2.0.

Sources