Quick Verdict
Decision Matrix (Feb 2026)
- Choose Gemini CLI if: You want zero cost, Google Search grounding, and a generous free tier for prototyping and daily tasks
- Choose Claude Code if: You need the highest benchmark accuracy (80.8% SWE-bench), agent teams, and deterministic multi-file refactoring
- Use both if: You want Gemini CLI for free daily tasks and web-grounded queries, plus Claude Code for production-critical complex changes
Gemini CLI is the only major terminal coding agent with a genuinely useful free tier. 1,000 requests per day with access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and a 1M token context window costs nothing. For comparison, Claude Code's cheapest tier is $20/month with usage limits that active developers hit within hours.
But free comes with tradeoffs. Gemini 2.5 Pro scores 63.8% on SWE-bench Verified. Claude Opus 4.6 scores 80.8%. That 17-point gap is not abstract. On complex refactoring tasks involving 5+ files with interdependent changes, Claude Code gets it right more often. For single-file edits, quick prototyping, and tasks that benefit from web search, Gemini CLI is more than capable.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gemini CLI | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache 2.0 (open source) | Proprietary |
| Free Tier | 1,000 req/day, 60 req/min | None |
| Default Model | Gemini 2.5 Pro | Claude Sonnet 4.5 |
| Best Model | Gemini 2.5 Pro | Claude Opus 4.6 |
| Context Window | 1M tokens | 1M tokens |
| Google Search | Built-in grounding | Not available |
| Agent Teams | No | Yes (parallel sub-agents) |
| MCP Support | Yes (extensions ecosystem) | Yes |
| Shell Commands | Yes | Yes |
| File Operations | Yes | Yes |
| Web Fetching | Built-in tool | Via MCP |
| Custom Extensions | Yes (Git/GitHub releases) | Yes (.agent.md files) |
| Memory | GEMINI.md project files | CLAUDE.md project files |
| SWE-bench Verified | 63.8% (Gemini 2.5 Pro) | 80.8% (Opus 4.6) |
Pricing Breakdown
Gemini CLI: Free to Paid
Authentication method determines your limits:
- Google Account (free): 1,000 requests/day, 60/min. Access to Gemini 2.5 Pro with 1M tokens. Uses a blend of Pro and Flash models based on demand.
- Gemini API Key (free tier): 100 requests/day with Gemini 2.5 Pro.
- Vertex AI / Gemini Code Assist Standard: Usage-based billing for higher limits and guaranteed Pro model access.
Claude Code: Subscription Required
- Pro ($20/month): ~45 messages every 5 hours. Access to Sonnet 4.5 and Sonnet 4.6. Workable for light use, but active developers hit limits fast.
- Max 5x ($100/month): 5x Pro usage. Access to Opus 4.6, agent teams, adaptive thinking.
- Max 20x ($200/month): 20x Pro usage. The realistic tier for professional developers using Claude Code as their primary tool.
Monthly Cost Reality Check
For a developer writing code 4-6 hours/day:
- Gemini CLI: $0 (free tier covers most individual workflows)
- Claude Code Pro: $20/month, but you will hit rate limits and wait
- Claude Code Max 5x: $100/month for realistic daily use
The price gap is real. Gemini CLI's free tier handles ~80% of solo developer needs. Claude Code only makes sense when benchmark accuracy on complex tasks justifies $100+/month.
Agent Capabilities
Gemini CLI: Search-Grounded Agent
Gemini CLI's standout feature is native Google Search grounding. The agent can query the web mid-task to find current API documentation, library versions, or migration guides. No other terminal coding agent has this built in.
Built-in tools include file operations (read/write/create), shell command execution, web fetching, and Google Search. The MCP extension ecosystem adds custom capabilities: Google-developed extensions include Security (vulnerability scanning in code changes) and Conductor (feature planning and implementation).
The agent does not have a plan/act toggle or approval gates. It runs tools and presents results. For developers who want step-by-step approval, this is a gap. For developers who trust the agent and want speed, it removes friction.
Claude Code: Agent Teams
Claude Code's agent teams let you spin up multiple sub-agents that work in parallel on different parts of a task. Each agent gets its own dedicated context window. They share a task list with dependency tracking and coordinate autonomously.
The human-in-the-loop design is more granular. Every file change can require approval. You can review diffs before accepting changes. The tool produces deterministic outputs: the same prompt on the same codebase gives the same result, which matters for production workflows.
Claude Code also reads your entire repository structure, understands the architecture, and plans multi-step changes across multiple files. Developers describe it as "a senior engineer who reads the whole codebase, creates a plan, and delivers pull-request-ready changes."
Gemini CLI: Google Search Grounding
Query the live web mid-task. Find current API docs, check library versions, read migration guides. No other terminal agent has this built in.
Claude Code: Agent Teams
Parallel sub-agents with dedicated context windows, shared task lists, and dependency tracking. Produces pull-request-ready changes across multiple files.
Context Windows
Both tools offer 1M token context windows. The practical difference is how they use that context.
Gemini CLI's 1M window lets it reason across entire codebases in a single step. Google designed the model to maintain architectural understanding and dependency-wide coherence at this scale. The tradeoff: pricing doubles when context exceeds 128K tokens on paid tiers (not relevant for free tier users).
Claude Code's 1M window (available with Opus 4.6 on Max plans) enables the same full-codebase reasoning. Claude's context management is tighter: it tracks token usage internally and manages context pruning more aggressively, leading to more consistent behavior on long sessions.
| Context Feature | Gemini CLI | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Max Window | 1M tokens | 1M tokens (Opus 4.6) |
| Project Memory | GEMINI.md files | CLAUDE.md files |
| Session Persistence | Limited | Cross-session memory |
| Context Pricing | Free tier: included. Paid: 2x after 128K | Included in subscription |
| Multi-File Understanding | Good (1M window) | Excellent (architecture-aware) |
Benchmarks
Benchmark data as of February 2026, from public evaluations:
| Benchmark | Gemini 2.5 Pro | Claude Opus 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 63.8% | 80.8% |
| LiveCodeBench v5 (code gen) | 70.4% | N/A |
| Aider Polyglot (whole file) | 74.0% | N/A |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0 | N/A | N/A (Codex: 77.3%) |
SWE-bench Verified is the most relevant benchmark for agentic coding tools because it measures the ability to solve real GitHub issues end-to-end. Claude Opus 4.6's 80.8% vs Gemini 2.5 Pro's 63.8% is a 17-point gap. In practice, this means Claude Code succeeds on about 1 in 6 tasks where Gemini CLI fails.
Gemini 2.5 Pro performs well on other benchmarks, particularly LiveCodeBench v5 (70.4%) and Aider Polyglot (74.0%), suggesting it's competitive for code generation and multi-language tasks. The gap is most pronounced on complex, multi-step debugging and refactoring.
When Gemini CLI Wins
Zero Budget
1,000 free requests/day covers most individual developer workflows. No credit card required. Just a Google account.
Web-Grounded Tasks
Need to check current API docs? Find the latest library version? Google Search grounding answers with real-time data. No other CLI tool matches this.
Quick Prototyping
Fast time-to-MVP. Gemini CLI delivers clean, functional code quickly. For small to medium projects, the speed advantage outweighs the benchmark gap.
Open Source Contribution
Apache 2.0 license with 96K GitHub stars. You can inspect the code, contribute, and fork. Google-backed with active extension ecosystem.
When Claude Code Wins
Complex Multi-File Refactors
80.8% SWE-bench vs 63.8%. On tasks involving 5+ interdependent files, Claude Code succeeds where Gemini CLI often misses edge cases.
Agent Teams
Parallel sub-agents with dedicated context windows and shared task lists. No equivalent in Gemini CLI. Essential for large-scale code changes.
Deterministic Outputs
Same prompt, same codebase, same result. Claude Code's consistency matters for production workflows where predictability is non-negotiable.
Enterprise Codebases
Architecture-aware reasoning across massive repositories. Claude Code reads the full repo structure and plans changes that respect existing patterns.
Decision Framework
| Priority | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest cost | Gemini CLI | 1,000 free requests/day, no subscription |
| Highest accuracy | Claude Code | 80.8% SWE-bench, deterministic outputs |
| Web research | Gemini CLI | Native Google Search grounding |
| Multi-agent workflows | Claude Code | Agent teams with dependency tracking |
| Open source | Gemini CLI | Apache 2.0, 96K GitHub stars |
| Enterprise refactoring | Claude Code | Architecture-aware, pull-request-ready output |
| Prototyping speed | Gemini CLI | Fast time-to-MVP, free tier covers usage |
| Niche languages | Claude Code | Broader training data, higher accuracy on less-common languages |
The practical answer for most developers: start with Gemini CLI. It costs nothing and handles 80% of tasks. When you encounter a complex refactoring task where the free agent falls short, switch to Claude Code for that specific session. The $100/month Max plan is easier to justify when you treat it as a targeted tool for hard problems rather than a daily driver.
For the code transformations themselves, Morph Compact Attention delivers fast, accurate edits regardless of which terminal agent generates the instructions. And WarpGrep adds semantic codebase search to any workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gemini CLI really free?
Yes. 60 requests/minute, 1,000/day with a personal Google account. Access to Gemini 2.5 Pro with 1M token context. The free tier uses a blend of Pro and Flash models based on demand, so you may not always get Pro for every request. No credit card required.
Which scores higher on coding benchmarks?
Claude Code (using Opus 4.6) scores 80.8% on SWE-bench Verified. Gemini CLI (using Gemini 2.5 Pro) scores 63.8%. The 17-point gap is significant on complex multi-file tasks but less relevant for single-file edits and prototyping.
Does Gemini CLI have Google Search built in?
Yes. Native Google Search grounding lets the agent query the web mid-task for current API docs, library versions, and migration guides. No other terminal coding agent has this built in.
Can I use both tools together?
Yes. A common workflow: Gemini CLI for free daily tasks and web-grounded queries, Claude Code for complex multi-file refactors where the higher benchmark scores justify the subscription cost.
How much does Claude Code cost per month?
Pro is $20/month with limited usage. Max 5x is $100/month. Max 20x is $200/month. Active developers typically need Max 5x or higher. There is no free tier for Claude Code.
Which has better MCP support?
Both support MCP extensions. Gemini CLI configures servers through ~/.gemini/settings.json with Google-developed extensions for security and feature planning. Claude Code's MCP ecosystem is more mature for code-specific workflows. Both allow community-built extensions.
Related Comparisons
Faster Code Transformations for Any Agent
Morph Fast Apply processes 10,500+ tokens/sec with 98% structural accuracy. Works with Gemini CLI, Claude Code, or any AI tool through the API.