# Gemini CLI vs Claude Code

> Two terminal coding agents. Gemini CLI is Google's, open source under Apache-2.0, and since June 2026 it's for Code Assist licenses and paid keys only. Claude Code is Anthropic's, and it also runs in your IDE, a desktop app and the browser.

- Page: https://digidle.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-claude-code/
- All comparisons: https://digidle.com/compare/

## Side by side

### Google Gemini CLI

- What it is: Google's open-source (Apache-2.0) coding agent for the terminal: it reads and edits your codebase, runs shell commands, connects MCP servers and runs headless with gemini -p for scripts. Now built for Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise teams and paid Gemini API or Vertex AI keys; free and Google AI Pro/Ultra users moved to Antigravity CLI.
- Category: AI Editors & Agents (https://digidle.com/category/ai-editors/)
- Tags: cli, agent, open-source
- Where It Runs: Terminal on macOS, Windows and Linux. VS Code companion extension, plus JetBrains and Zed through ACP. Preinstalled in Google Cloud Shell.
- Sign-In and Models: Sign in with Google on a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license, or use a paid Gemini API or Vertex AI key. Open source under Apache-2.0.
- Scripting and CI: gemini -p runs headless, with JSON or streaming JSON output for scripts.
- Free Option: None anymore. Free and Google AI Pro/Ultra access moved to Google's Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026.
- Pricing: Comes with Gemini Code Assist: Standard $19 per user a month on a 12-month term, $22.80 monthly, with 1,500 CLI and agent requests a day. Enterprise is $45 on a 12-month term, $54 monthly, with 2,000. Or a paid API key at API rates.
- Official site: https://geminicli.com
- Listing: https://digidle.com/tools/gemini-cli/ (Markdown: https://digidle.com/tools/gemini-cli.md)
- Alternatives: https://digidle.com/alternatives/gemini-cli/

### Claude Code

- What it is: Anthropic's agentic coding tool that runs in the terminal and works across your codebase.
- Category: AI Editors & Agents (https://digidle.com/category/ai-editors/)
- Tags: cli, agent
- Where It Runs: Terminal on macOS, Linux and Windows, plus VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app, the web, Slack and mobile.
- Sign-In and Models: A Claude subscription or Anthropic Console account. The CLI, VS Code and JetBrains also support third-party providers.
- Scripting and CI: Run Claude in your own CI, plus Code Review on pull requests.
- Free Option: Not on the free Claude plan. Use a paid plan or API credits.
- Pricing: Included with Claude Pro: $17/mo billed annually, $20 monthly. Max from $100/mo for 5x or 20x Pro usage. Team standard seats $20/mo billed annually, $25 monthly.
- Official site: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code
- Listing: https://digidle.com/tools/claude-code/ (Markdown: https://digidle.com/tools/claude-code.md)
- Alternatives: https://digidle.com/alternatives/claude-code/

Pricing and plan details checked 2026-10-29 on the official pages: Gemini CLI on GitHub (https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli), Gemini CLI quotas (https://geminicli.com/docs/resources/quota-and-pricing), Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI (https://developers.googleblog.com/an-important-update-transitioning-gemini-cli-to-antigravity-cli/), Code Assist pricing (https://cloud.google.com/products/gemini/pricing), Code Assist quotas (https://developers.google.com/gemini-code-assist/resources/quotas), Claude pricing (https://claude.com/pricing), Claude Code docs (https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview). Plans change, so confirm before you buy.

## Which one to pick

- Pick Gemini CLI if: Your company already licenses Gemini Code Assist on Google Cloud, or you want Gemini on a paid key in an agent you can read and fork.
- Pick Claude Code if: You pay for Claude, want Anthropic's models, and want one agent across terminal, IDE, desktop and browser.

## On these best-of lists

- [AI coding agents](https://digidle.com/best/ai-coding-agents/)

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Source: Digidle Tools (https://digidle.com/). Full index: https://digidle.com/llms.txt