Claude Code vs Gemini CLI: what changed in 2026, and what to compare now

Is Gemini CLI still the free alternative to Claude Code?

No. Most comparisons you will find rank Gemini CLI as the free option next to Claude Code. That advice is out of date. Google’s announcement on its developers blog, dated May 19, 2026, says that on June 18, 2026 Gemini CLI and the Gemini Code Assist IDE extensions would stop serving requests for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers and for people using Gemini Code Assist for individuals free of charge. Google is replacing it with Antigravity CLI, part of its agent-first development platform, Google Antigravity.

The Gemini CLI repository on GitHub now opens with the same message. It says Gemini CLI is designed for Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licenses and Code Assist for GitHub on Google Cloud, with no free tier or Google AI plans. It also says the tool is not tuned for the Gemini 4 series, and tells readers not to use it to benchmark Gemini models. Google’s announcement adds that Gemini CLI stays accessible through paid Gemini and Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform API keys.

So this page compares Claude Code with both Google tools, and says which one applies to whom.

What is Claude Code, in one paragraph?

Anthropic’s Claude Code documentation describes an AI-powered coding assistant that builds features, fixes bugs and automates development tasks across multiple files. It runs in a terminal, in VS Code and JetBrains, in a desktop app and on the web. Most of those surfaces need a Claude subscription or an Anthropic Console account, and the terminal, VS Code and JetBrains versions also support third-party model providers. Project instructions live in a CLAUDE.md file, and skills, hooks and MCP servers extend what it can do. It uses Claude models. Individuals need Pro, Max or Ultra, from USD 20 a month, or USD 17 a month billed annually; the free Claude plan does not include it.

What are Gemini CLI and Antigravity CLI?

Both are terminal agents from Google. They differ in age, license and audience.

How do Claude Code and Google’s terminal agents compare?

The Antigravity column rests on Google’s product and pricing pages, and Claude Code’s on Anthropic’s overview. Neither company publishes a head-to-head, and independent benchmark scores change with every model release, so this page does not claim that one writes better code.

Which one should you use?

• You want to try a terminal coding agent for free: Antigravity CLI. Claude Code has no free plan, and Gemini CLI no longer serves free individuals.
• You already pay for a Claude plan: Claude Code is included in Pro, Max and Ultra, so the marginal cost is zero until you hit the usage limit. See Claude Pro vs Max for how those limits scale.
• You already pay for Google AI Pro or Ultra: Antigravity CLI is the route Google points that subscription to.
• Your company is on Google Cloud with Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise: Gemini CLI remains supported for you, and Google says your access is unchanged.
• Your company wants to run Claude through its own cloud account: Claude Code supports third-party providers in the terminal, VS Code and JetBrains.
• You want to read and modify the agent’s source code: Gemini CLI is Apache 2.0 licensed. Claude Code and Antigravity CLI are not described as open source on their official pages.

If you are unsure, spend an afternoon on each free or included route with the same task and keep notes. A tool you enjoy using for the first hour usually wins on your own project, because the differences that matter, such as how it asks for approval and how clearly it reports what it changed, do not show up in a feature table.

How do you move from Gemini CLI to Claude Code or Antigravity CLI?

Your project knowledge lives in a context file, so moving is mostly about that file. A short prompt does most of the work. Start the new tool in your repository and give it this brief.

Read GEMINI.md in this repository. Create the equivalent instruction file for this tool (CLAUDE.md for Claude Code; keep GEMINI.md untouched either way).

Rules:
- Keep every build, test and lint command exactly as written.
- Keep architecture notes and naming conventions.
- Drop anything that only makes sense for Gemini CLI itself, and list what you dropped.
- Do not invent commands. If a command is unclear, ask me.

When done, run the project's test command once and tell me if it passes.

Anthropic’s documentation says Claude Code can read an AGENTS.md file in place of a CLAUDE.md, so if your repository already follows that convention you may not need to convert anything. Check any MCP servers you configured: both Claude Code and Antigravity CLI support them, but the configuration format differs. Google’s migration page lists the schema changes for Antigravity.

If you are choosing a tool because you have an app idea and no preference yet, browse the ideas on the board. Every idea has a generated build prompt you can paste into any of these three tools.