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Gemini CLI is now for business licenses only: what free users can switch to
Since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI only serves organizations on Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise, Code Assist for GitHub on Google Cloud, and paid API keys. Free users and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers were moved to Antigravity CLI, which has a free plan. If you used Gemini CLI for free, Antigravity CLI is the closest switch, and OpenCode, goose and Aider are free open-source options from our ranking.
What changed
The timeline, from Google's own post
- May 19, 2026: Google announced it is unifying its terminal work into Google Antigravity, and Antigravity CLI became available to everyone that day.
- June 18, 2026: Gemini CLI and the Gemini Code Assist IDE extensions stopped serving requests for Google AI Pro and Ultra, and for people using them free of charge through Gemini Code Assist for individuals.
- Gemini Code Assist for GitHub: no new installations on GitHub organizations from June 18, 2026, and Google said requests would stop being served in the following weeks.
- Unchanged: organizations using Gemini CLI through a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license, or Code Assist for GitHub through Google Cloud. Gemini CLI also stays available through paid Gemini and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys.
Source: developers.googleblog.com/an-important-update-transitioning-gemini-cli-to-antigravity-cli
What the README says now
Gemini CLI is maintained for enterprise Code Assist
- The README describes Gemini CLI as an open-source terminal agent maintained for enterprise Gemini Code Assist workflows on Google Cloud.
- No free tier or Google AI plans: free individual access and Google AI Pro and Ultra moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026.
- Gemini CLI is not tuned for the Gemini 4 series, and Google asks people not to use it to benchmark Gemini models.
- For free accounts, Google AI Pro and Ultra, Gemini 4 Argon or Google Cloud, the README points to Antigravity CLI (the agy command).
Who should do what
Pick your path
- You used Gemini CLI for free, or with Google AI Pro or Ultra: move to Antigravity CLI, or pick one of the free open-source agents below.
- Your company has a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license: nothing changes for you, according to Google.
- You want to bring any model, including local ones: OpenCode, goose and Aider are open source and work with many providers.
- You already pay for ChatGPT Plus or Pro: the Codex CLI is included. ChatGPT Free and Go include Codex in the desktop app, not the CLI.
How to switch
Moving from Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI
Google says there is no 1:1 feature parity at launch, but Agent Skills, Hooks, Subagents and Extensions carry over, with extensions becoming Antigravity plugins. The migration guide covers the rest:
- Run agy for the first time and it detects your Gemini CLI setup and offers a checklist of what to convert, including extensions, global settings and session tokens.
- Convert extensions by hand with agy plugin import gemini.
- GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md rules work unchanged, including your global ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md.
- Move workspace skills from .gemini/skills/ to .agents/skills/. Global skills in ~/.gemini/skills/ still work.
- MCP servers move out of ~/.gemini/settings.json into mcp_config.json (~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json globally, .agents/mcp_config.json per workspace), and the url or httpUrl key becomes serverUrl.
- Some custom terminal themes and experimental visual overlays from Gemini CLI might not be supported.
Our picks
The best Gemini CLI replacements for individuals
- Closest switch, free plan
Antigravity CLI. Google's successor for free and Google AI Pro and Ultra users. The Individual plan is $0 with access to a variety of agent models and basic weekly rate limits, and it imports Gemini CLI extensions as plugins. We rank it #3 in terminal coding agents.
- Free and open source, any model
OpenCode. 100% free and open source, with free models included and no account needed, or 200+ providers through Models.dev including local models. Ranked #4.
- Free and open source, desktop app and CLI
goose. Apache-2.0 agent with a desktop app, a CLI and an API. You pay only your model provider, or use an existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscription. Ranked #7.
- Free and open source, git-native
Aider. Apache-2.0 pair programmer in your terminal that works with cloud and local models and commits changes to git with sensible messages. Ranked #8.
- If you pay for ChatGPT
OpenAI Codex. The Codex CLI comes with ChatGPT Plus ($20 a month) and Pro, or with an API key billed at API prices. Ranked #2.
Side by side
Gemini CLI and the alternatives compared
| Tool | Our rank | Pricing (from the official site) | Free option | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigravity CLI | #3 of 15 Terminal coding agents | Free Individual plan at $0 with access to a variety of agent models and basic weekly rate limits. Google AI Pro and Ultra add higher rate limits and a flexible AI credit pool. Organizations can use it through a Google Cloud Business plan or the API with consumption pricing.Source: antigravity.google, checked | Yes | Google's terminal coding agent (agy) and the successor to Gemini CLI for individuals. Runs subagents in parallel on the same agent engine as the Antigravity app. Free Individual plan; Google AI Pro and Ultra raise limits. |
| OpenCode | #4 of 15 Terminal coding agents | OpenCode itself is 100% free and open source. Optional OpenCode Go subscription: Go $10 a month, Go Plus $40 a month, Go Teams $20 per member a month. Optional Zen pay-as-you-go models start with a $20 balance, priced per request.Source: opencode.ai, checked | Yes | Open-source coding agent with terminal, desktop and web clients on one shared local service; bring any model. |
| goose | #7 of 15 Terminal coding agents | Free and open source (Apache-2.0). You pay only your model provider, or use an existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscription via ACP.Source: github.com, checked | Yes | Free open-source AI agent (desktop app, CLI and API) that works with 15+ model providers; part of the Linux Foundation's Agentic AI Foundation. |
| Aider | #8 of 15 Terminal coding agents | Open source, Apache License 2.0. No price on our fact sheet yet.Source: github.com, checked | Open source | Open-source, git-native pair programmer that works with many models. |
| OpenAI Codex | #2 of 15 Terminal coding agents | Included in ChatGPT Free ($0), Go ($8 a month), Plus ($20 a month), Pro (from $100 a month, with $100, $200 and $500 tiers), Business, Edu and Enterprise plans. Free and Go get lighter use in the desktop app; Plus adds Codex on the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS. With an API key you pay API prices and lose cloud features such as GitHub code review.Source: developers.openai.com, checked | Yes | Coding agent available in the CLI, IDE and cloud; good for parallel background tasks. |
| Gemini CLI | #9 of 15 Terminal coding agents | No free tier and no Google AI Pro or Ultra access. Since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI serves organizations with Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses or Code Assist for GitHub on Google Cloud, plus paid Gemini API and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform keys. Free individual users and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers were moved to Antigravity CLI.Source: github.com, checked | No | Google's open-source (Apache 2.0) terminal agent, now for organizations on Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise and paid API keys. Free and Google AI Pro or Ultra access moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026. |
Prices come from each tool's official pricing page on the date shown and can change, so check before you buy. Ranks are from our ranking method. Nothing on this page is sponsored.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Questions
Frequently asked
Is Gemini CLI still free?
No. Since June 18, 2026, Gemini CLI no longer serves free users or Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. It serves organizations with Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses or Code Assist for GitHub on Google Cloud, plus paid Gemini and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys. Sources: the Google for Developers blog post of May 19, 2026, and the Gemini CLI README.
What replaced Gemini CLI?
Antigravity CLI, run with the agy command. Google made it available to everyone on May 19, 2026, and moved free and Google AI Pro and Ultra users to it on June 18, 2026.
Is Antigravity CLI free?
Yes. The Antigravity Individual plan is $0 a month with access to a variety of agent models, unlimited Tab completions and command requests, and basic weekly rate limits. Google AI Pro and Ultra add higher rate limits and a flexible AI credit pool. Source: antigravity.google/pricing, checked 2026-11-10.
Can I keep my Gemini CLI extensions?
Yes. Antigravity CLI imports them as plugins with agy plugin import gemini, and it reads your existing GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md files.
Is Gemini CLI still open source?
Yes. The README still calls it an open-source terminal agent, now maintained for enterprise Gemini Code Assist workflows on Google Cloud.
What is the best free open-source alternative?
In our terminal coding agents ranking, OpenCode (#4) is the highest-ranked free open-source agent, followed by goose (#7) and Aider (#8).
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