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Claude vs Gemini app: Which AI chat app should you pay for?

Facts checked Oct 22, 2026. Every number links to its source.

Summary

Derived from sourced facts, not from builder opinions
  • The main paid plans cost the same: Claude Pro at $20 and Google AI Pro at $19.99. Google also has AI Plus at $4.99.
  • No published test compares the two apps. As models, Gemini 4 Argon (Google AI Pro and up) ranks first in Arena text votes (1526) and Claude Opus 5.5 (Claude Pro and up) second (1516), within the confidence ranges.
  • As models run through the API by Vals AI, Opus 5.5 scored 65.15% on Terminal-Bench 4.0 and Gemini 4 Argon 57.58%.
  • Free Gemini allows 32K tokens of context. Claude lists up to 1M on every plan, depending on the model.

Choose Claude if

  • You code, or plan to use Claude Code, which every paid Claude plan includes.
  • You want more context on the free plan (Claude lists up to 1M tokens, Gemini Free 32K).
  • You want Opus 5.5, which Claude Pro includes.
  • You want the models that scored higher on Vals AI's Terminal-Bench 4.0 run (Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5).

Choose Gemini app if

  • You want Gemini 4 Argon, which Google AI Pro includes.
  • You want storage, Gmail and Docs integration in the same plan.
  • You want a paid plan under $5.
Claude
Gemini app

Follow both to get an email when either one changes its price, limits or behavior.

Plans

Claude plans

Free
Free

Sonnet and Haiku · web search, memory, connectors, Artifacts

Pro
$20/month

Claude Code and Opus included · $17/month billed annually

Max
$100/month

From $100: 5x or 20x Pro usage

Team Standard seat
$25/month

Per seat, monthly · $20 billed annually

Enterprise
$20/month

Per seat billed annually, 20-seat minimum, plus usage at API rates

Gemini app plans

Free
Free

Flash-Lite · 32K context · 15 GB storage

Google AI Plus
$4.99/month

Flash · 2x Free usage · 400 GB storage

Google AI Pro
$19.99/month

Gemini 4 Argon · 4x Free usage · 1M context · 5 TB storage

Google AI Ultra
$99.99/month

5x Pro usage · $199.99 for 20x

Subscription agents are priced per seat with usage limits, so this compares plans rather than dividing a subscription by a guessed number of tasks.

Side by side

ClaudeGemini app
MakerAnthropic
Google
PlansFree $0 · Pro $20/month ($17 billed annually) · Max from $100 (5x or 20x Pro usage) · Team Standard $25/seat monthly ($20 annual), Premium $125 ($100 annual) · Enterprise $20/seat plus usage at API rates
Free $0 · Google AI Plus $4.99 · Google AI Pro $19.99 · Google AI Ultra $99.99 (5x Pro) or $199.99 (20x Pro) · Gemini Enterprise Business from $21/seat
Usage limitsRolling 5-hour windows on every plan, plus weekly limits on paid plans · Pro gives at least 5x Free usage per 5 hours, Max 5x or 20x Pro · no fixed message counts · paid plans can buy usage credits at API rates
Compute-based limits that refresh every 5 hours until a weekly cap · Plus 2x Free, Pro 4x Free, Ultra 5x or 20x Pro · AI credits extend limits · paid users fall back to Flash-Lite at the limit
Models in the appCurrent models are Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 and Fable 5.1 · Free gets Sonnet and Haiku · Opus from Pro · Fable with usage credits on Pro and up to 50% of weekly limits on Max
Free: Flash-Lite · Plus: Flash · Pro and Ultra: Gemini 4 Argon, the Pro model (3.1 Pro) and Flash
Context windowUp to 1M tokens on every plan, depending on the model
32K tokens without a plan · 128K on Plus · 1M on Pro and Ultra
Key featuresFree: web search, file creation and code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts, Claude Design, Slides and Docs · Pro adds Claude Code, Research, unlimited Projects, Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365
Not published
Coding agentClaude Code is included in every paid plan and shares the plan's usage limits
Not published
Model trainingOpt-out on Free, Pro and Max · off by default on Team and Enterprise
Not published
Gemini 4 Argon in the appNot publishedRolling out to Google AI Pro and Ultra since 2026-10-13
BundleNot publishedPro includes 5 TB of Google storage, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, Jules, entry Antigravity limits and YouTube Premium Lite

Scores appear side by side only when both were published for the same test. Settings differ between sources, so small gaps can reverse under another harness.

Updates

Claude

27 recorded incidents in the last 90 days.

Limits change

Accounts that keep trying to extract Claude's reasoning face stricter usage limits

Anthropic said users who repeatedly try to extract Claude's reasoning now get stricter usage limits, and accounts with persistent distillation attempts are banned. The same post restates that blocked pre-output requests have been billed again since September 24.

Who is affected:
Accounts whose prompts repeatedly try to get Claude to reveal its full reasoning.
What to do:
No action needed for normal use. Do not build workflows that try to extract hidden reasoning.

Gemini app

Breaking change

Gemini app adds skills, which will replace Gems

Google rolled out skills, reusable instruction sets, in Gemini chat and said skills will soon replace Gems, with existing Gems migrated automatically when Gems go away.

Who is affected:
Gemini app users who rely on custom Gems.
What to do:
Review your Gems and the help center guidance on moving them to skills.

Switching checklist

  1. Export your Claude data under Settings, Privacy, Export data, on the web or desktop app. The link arrives by email and expires after 24 hours.
  2. In Gemini, upload the .zip under Settings and help, Import chats. Gemini takes up to 5 GB a file and five files a day.
  3. Bring your memory with Gemini's Import memory prompt: ask Claude, then paste the answer into Gemini.
  4. Know that imported chats are saved in Gemini Apps Activity and can be used to train Google's models.
  5. Copy your Instructions for Claude into Instructions for Gemini (personal accounts only).
  6. Rebuild Claude projects as Gems with their files under Knowledge. From November 2026 Gems move to skills.
  7. If you used Claude Code, try Antigravity, which Google AI Pro includes.
  8. Check which model your plan includes: Gemini 4 Argon needs Google AI Pro.

FAQ

Is Claude better than Gemini?

No published test compares the two apps. As models run through the API by Vals AI, Claude Opus 5.5 scored 65.15% on Terminal-Bench 4.0 and Gemini 4 Argon 57.58%. In Arena text votes Argon ranks first and Opus second, within the confidence ranges.

How much do Claude and Gemini cost?

Claude: Free, Pro $20 and Max from $100. Gemini: Free, AI Plus $4.99, AI Pro $19.99 and AI Ultra from $99.99.

Which free plan is better?

Claude Free includes Sonnet and Haiku with up to 1M tokens of context. Gemini Free uses Flash-Lite with 32K tokens of context.

Do Claude and Gemini have usage limits?

Yes. Both use limits that reset every 5 hours, with weekly limits on top (on paid plans for Claude). Neither publishes message counts.

Can I move my Claude chats to Gemini?

Yes. Export your Claude data from Settings, Privacy, then upload the .zip under Import chats in Gemini.

Does Gemini Pro include a coding agent?

Google AI Pro includes entry Antigravity limits and Jules. Claude Pro includes Claude Code.

Which Gemini models come with Google AI Pro?

Gemini 4 Argon, still rolling out, plus the Pro model and Flash. The free plan uses Flash-Lite.

Related comparisons

Claude vs ChatGPTGemini app vs ChatGPTClaude vs GrokDeepSeek vs ClaudeClaude vs PerplexityClaude pageGemini app page

Sources and method

Prices, specs and limits come from each maker's own pages. Benchmark scores come from independent benchmark publishers and the makers' announcements, with the setting each was measured in. Changes come from changelogs, deprecation pages and status pages. The summary is written from these facts only.