Gemini API free tier
Google does not publish a free-tier RPM, TPM, or RPD table for each Gemini model. The rate-limits page says those limits can be viewed in Google AI Studio, and that specified rate limits are not guaranteed. The numbers below are the ones that page and the pricing page do print.
Units and the free spend cap
Rate limits are applied per project, not per API key. The page defines requests per minute (RPM), tokens per minute for input (TPM), and requests per day (RPD). RPD quotas reset at midnight Pacific time.
Spend-based limit, rolling 10-minute window, from the rate-limits page.
| Usage tier | Spend rate limit per 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Free | N/A |
| Tier 1 | $10 |
| Tier 2 | $50 |
| Tier 3 | $200 |
Hitting that spend limit returns 429 RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED. The free row is N/A, so this particular cap is not a free-tier quota.
What the pricing page says is free or excluded
- The pricing page states: “Gemini 4 Argon is not available on the Free tier.”
- Gemini 2.5 Flash, standard, grounding with Google Search, free column: “Free of charge, up to 500 RPD (limit shared with Flash-Lite RPD).”
- Paid search grounding for Gemini 3 and newer models is described as 5,000 free search requests per month, shared across those models, then $14 per 1,000 requests. The free column for those newer models was marked not available on the rows checked.
A per-model free input price of “Free of charge” on the pricing page is a token price, not an RPM. This page does not turn those cells into a request-rate table.
Data use on unpaid quota
The Gemini API terms call direct interactions with Google AI Studio, and unpaid quota in the Gemini API, Unpaid Services. When you use Unpaid Services, Google uses the content you submit and generated responses to provide, improve, and develop Google products and services and machine learning technologies. Human reviewers may read, annotate, and process API input and output. The terms say not to submit sensitive, confidential, or personal information to the Unpaid Services.
Exception on the same page: if you are in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, the “How Google uses Your Data” terms for Paid Services apply to all Services, including Google AI Studio and unpaid Gemini API quota.
How to get a key
The API-key guide says a new user gets a default Google Cloud project and API key in Google AI Studio after accepting the Terms of Service. An existing Cloud account imports a project, then creates a key under API Keys. From 28 May 2026, new keys created in AI Studio are created as auth keys.
Other free-tier notes
Google AI Studio in the directory
Sources
Last checked 2026-10-22.