From 9 October Google limits free Gemini users to Flash-Lite and takes Pro from AI Plus. Here is what each plan keeps, and where Deep Think is still unclear.
Google restricted the Gemini app for users without a paid plan to its smallest model, Flash-Lite, from 9 October 2026. AI Plus subscribers lose access to Gemini Pro on a date Google emails to each account. AI Pro and AI Ultra keep every model they had. The change applies to personal accounts; Google's support page does not cover work or school accounts.
What changed, by plan
Prices are US figures reported by 9to5Google. Google's help page lists none. The "Before" column is inferred from what each group loses, because Google publishes no earlier grid. One secondary source says free-tier Pro access may have varied.
| Plan | US price (9to5Google) | Before | After 9 Oct | Usage multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No plan | Free | Flash-Lite, Flash (3.6), Pro (3.1) | Flash-Lite (3.5) only | Standard (1x) |
| AI Plus | $4.99/mo | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Flash-Lite, Flash; no Pro | 2x |
| AI Pro | $19.99/mo | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro | Unchanged; Deep Think disputed, see below | 4x |
| AI Ultra | $99.99 or $199.99/mo | Flash-Lite, Flash, Pro, Deep Think | Unchanged | 5x or 20x higher than AI Pro |
Free users on Auto see most prompts routed to Flash-Lite. With smart model selection off, every response uses Flash-Lite. The sources do not say which Ultra price carries the 5x tier and which the 20x tier.
Model access after 9 October by plan. Prices are US figures from 9to5Google; the before state is inferred.
Usage limits and effort levels
Limits have been compute-based since 17 May 2026 (24 July for under-18s). They refresh every five hours until a weekly cap is reached. Google publishes no numeric caps. Usage depends on prompt complexity, features and chat length. Media generation, Deep Research, the Pro model, extended thinking and Deep Think drain the allowance faster.
The multipliers are Google's: standard for no plan, 2x for AI Plus, 4x for AI Pro, and "5x or 20x higher than AI Pro" for Ultra. Because the Ultra figures are stated against AI Pro, not against the standard allowance, this article charts only the first three plans and does not convert Ultra to a standard-plan multiple.
October also brings low, medium and high effort levels for each available model, replacing the single "Extended thinking" toggle. Higher effort improves thoroughness and uses more of the limit. 9to5Google says the app "looks to be adding" them, with no day given.
Deep Think and AI Pro: unresolved
9to5Google says Deep Think, previously on the $99.99 and $199.99 plans, comes to AI Pro for "maximum parallel reasoning." Google's help page first said so too. By 6 October the US-English version reportedly named only AI Ultra, while other language versions still listed AI Pro. Treat Deep Think on AI Pro as unconfirmed until it shows in your account. For that reason it appears in neither image here.
Gemini 4 Argon arrives first for AI Ultra. Where it fits relative to Pro is unclear.
What teams should do
- Check which Gemini plan staff use for work. Prompts that depend on Pro reasoning will fall back to Flash-Lite or Flash on free and Plus accounts.
- Do not upgrade to AI Pro for Deep Think until the feature appears in an account.
- Expect heavy use of high effort, Deep Research and media tools to hit the five-hour and weekly limits sooner.
- Use workspace or API plans for production work. The consumer app limits are not a service guarantee.
- For how the Ultra tiers compare with rival premium plans, see Google AI Ultra vs Claude Max vs ChatGPT Pro for developers.