Gemini CLI vs Claude Code

Short answer: since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI no longer works with a free Google account or a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription. Those users were moved to Antigravity CLI, which is closed source. So if you're an individual on a consumer Google plan, Gemini CLI is no longer an option for you, and Claude Code is the simpler pick. Gemini CLI still makes sense if your company has Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses or a paid Gemini API or Vertex key, and you want an open source agent.

What changed on June 18, 2026

Many Gemini CLI vs Claude Code comparisons still describe Gemini CLI as the free option. For individuals, that's no longer how it works. Google's announcement says Gemini CLI stopped serving Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and free individual users on June 18, 2026, and points them to Antigravity CLI instead (Google Developers Blog).

Gemini CLI itself is still open source and still maintained for:

• Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise licenses
• A paid Gemini API key or Vertex AI

If you're on a consumer plan, the real comparison is now Antigravity CLI vs Claude Code. We haven't checked enough about Antigravity CLI to compare it fairly, so this page sticks to Gemini CLI.

Side by side

	Claude Code	Gemini CLI
Maker	Anthropic	Google
Open source	No	Yes, Apache-2.0, about 109k GitHub stars
Surfaces	Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app, web, mobile, Slack, GitHub Actions	Terminal
Models	Claude only (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku)	Gemini
Price for individuals	Pro $20, Max $100, Ultra $200 a month	Paid Gemini API or Vertex key; no longer free or included with Google AI Pro/Ultra
Team plan	Team $25 a seat ($20 annual), premium seat $125 ($100 annual)	Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise
Parallel agents	Subagents, claude --worktree, background agents, cloud sessions, experimental agent teams	Experimental gemini --worktree
Instruction file	CLAUDE.md (AGENTS.md only if no CLAUDE.md)	GEMINI.md (AGENTS.md if configured)

Sources: Claude Code overview, Claude pricing, subagents, Gemini CLI repo, GEMINI.md docs.

Where Gemini CLI wins

• Open source. Apache-2.0, so you can read and change it. Claude Code is not open source.
• Fits a Google Cloud company. If you already have Code Assist licenses or Vertex, there's nothing new to buy or approve.
• Gemini models. If your team prefers Gemini, this is Google's open source way to use it in a terminal.

Where Claude Code wins

• Simple for individuals. A $20 Claude Pro plan covers it. There's no license question.
• More surfaces. IDEs, a desktop app, the web, mobile, Slack and GitHub Actions, not only the terminal.
• Parallel work is built in. Subagents, worktrees, background agents and cloud sessions are all supported, while Gemini CLI's worktree support is still experimental.
• Widely used. 66% of agent users in the Stack Overflow 2026 survey used Claude Code, the most of any agent.

Your team doesn't have to pick one

A team can run Gemini CLI next to Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. With Coagy, each developer keeps their agent and their own login, whether that's a Claude plan, a ChatGPT plan or a Google key. A connector on each computer mirrors their sessions into one workspace, where the team sees every agent's work and can ask it questions.

To give every agent the same rules, keep one AGENTS.md. Gemini CLI won't read it until you add this to its settings.json: "context": {"fileName": ["AGENTS.md", "GEMINI.md"]}. Claude Code needs a CLAUDE.md with @AGENTS.md in it. The AGENTS.md guide covers every tool, and Claude Code, Codex and Cursor on one team shows how mixed teams work day to day.

Also compared: Codex vs Claude Code and OpenCode vs Claude Code.

Questions

Is Gemini CLI still free?

Not for individuals. Since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI no longer serves free individual users or Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers; Google moved them to Antigravity CLI. Gemini CLI still works with Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses or a paid Gemini API or Vertex key.

What is Antigravity CLI?

It is the closed source command-line tool Google moved free and Google AI Pro and Ultra users to when Gemini CLI stopped serving them on June 18, 2026.

Is Gemini CLI open source?

Yes. Gemini CLI is open source under Apache-2.0. Antigravity CLI and Claude Code are not.

Does Gemini CLI read AGENTS.md?

Only if you configure it. By default it reads GEMINI.md. Add "context": {"fileName": ["AGENTS.md", "GEMINI.md"]} to its settings.json to make it read AGENTS.md too.

Should I use Gemini CLI or Claude Code?

If you are an individual on a consumer Google plan, Gemini CLI is no longer available to you, so Claude Code is the simpler choice. If your company has Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise or pays for the Gemini API, Gemini CLI is a good open source option.