March 31, 2025: Google has made its highly advanced Gemini 2.5 AI available for free, opening up access to its most powerful model yet. Previously reserved for Gemini Advanced subscribers at a $20 monthly fee, the model is now accessible to all users, offering advanced reasoning, complex analysis, and a suite of innovative features like apps/extensions, file uploads, and Canvas tools. This move gives everyone the opportunity to explore the future of AI technology without any subscription cost.
Gemini 2.5: A Leap in AI Capabilities
Gemini 2.5 is integrated with advanced thinking abilities, allowing it to analyze complex information and draw logical conclusions with unprecedented accuracy. This AI suite is currently in its “experimental” phase and includes features like apps/extensions, file uploads, and Canvas tools.
Google had initially restricted access to Gemini 2.5 Pro to paid subscribers but reversed this decision as competition in the AI space intensified. “The team is sprinting, TPUs are running hot, and we want to get our most intelligent model into more people’s hands ASAP,” wrote the official Gemini App X account in a statement explaining the decision.
Launched over the weekend, the model is now accessible on gemini.google.com. Users with iOS and Android devices can expect access soon. This model is not just a chatbot; it’s a reasoning powerhouse, excelling in tasks related to math, science, coding, and reasoning. It has already been performing well in benchmark tests, including those from UC Berkeley and Humanity’s Last Exam, outpacing other competitors like OpenAI’s GPT-4o.
Paid vs Free: What’s the Difference?
While Gemini 2.5 is now free for all users, the advanced version still offers benefits for paid subscribers. These users get a “longer context window” and enjoy more requests per minute and day, along with double the tokens available for processing. Gemini Advanced members can make 20 requests per minute compared to 5 for free users, and 100 requests per day versus 25.
However, free users still face rate limits that don’t apply to the Advanced tier. Despite this, the release of the free version has sparked questions from users about the tangible differences for those who previously paid for access.
Competing with ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude
Gemini 2.5 Pro is seen as Google’s response to AI giants like ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, especially in areas like coding and creative tasks. The model has also sparked interest in generating Studio Ghibli-style images, which has recently been a hot trend among AI art enthusiasts.
Early Successes in AI Benchmarks
Highlights
- Enhanced reasoning
- Advanced coding
Gemini 2.5 is already making impressive strides in AI performance. It has taken the lead on the LMArena leaderboard, surpassing ChatGPT-4o in math, creative writing, and science benchmarks. In fact, Gemini 2.5 scored 18.8% on Humanity’s Last Exam, outperforming ChatGPT-4o (14%) and other top AI models.
Google’s move to make Gemini 2.5 free for all users shows its commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI technology. As competition heats up, the real test will be whether it can catch up to OpenAI’s models in coding and multi-turn conversations. However, for now, Google’s Gemini 2.5 is a formidable competitor, leading the charge in complex reasoning and creative tasks.
