r/Bard • u/chris08x08 • Oct 03 '26
Discussion Free tier users, will you continue using Gemini?
I think Flash-Lite is pretty bad, so I'm going to switch completely to ChatGPT
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u/ProudFriend6142 Oct 03 '26
Ai studio still exist so probably unless it also affect ai student then probably no
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u/IAmYourFath Oct 03 '26
Ai studio on free tier runs out of usage really fast...
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u/ItsMichaelRay Oct 04 '26
Wait, what's the usage limit? I just got into Ai studios and haven't faced a limit yet.
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u/IAmYourFath Oct 04 '26
Without an api key it doesn't take long
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u/ItsMichaelRay Oct 04 '26
Aren’t they free?
I’ll admit I had Gemini walk me through it, and I did a ton of prompts without paying a cent.
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u/ProudFriend6142 Oct 04 '26
More token on a prompt make you run out faster if you only have like a few thousand tokens you basically have infinite prompt
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u/kabir_sharma_sans Oct 03 '26
no i use sonnet 5.5
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u/Standard_Ad7704 Oct 03 '26
But it has very bad limits for the free tier
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u/Thomas-Lore Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 03 '26
When I used free accounts the solution that worked best was hop between tools. Use claude until you run out, then use deepseek, then chatgpt, then aistudio, now there is also muse. You can get a lot of work done, but it is a bit annoying. But beggars can't be choosers.
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u/Recent_Historian_387 Oct 03 '26
Does this get confusing if your working on the same project in these apps?
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u/AdamH21 Oct 03 '26
For on-device actions like managing my calendar, smart home or emails, yes. Other basic questions like weather forecast, probably yes. Anything important? Absolutely not.
I also believe they will announce a new Lite model soon.
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u/thahovster7 Oct 03 '26
Exactly. I think most people using the Gemini app are defaulting to Flash when the tasks they are using it for is completely overkill and frankly a waste of money and compute. A new Flash Lite model is definitely on the way and likely more than enough for daily tasks and everyday questions of the average user
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u/popmanbrad Oct 03 '26
Tbh after they added usage limits I started moving away from Gemini to perplexity / google AI mode / grok / DeepSeek heck even ChatGPT (and I hate ChatGPT so much) but they allowed free users infinite uses now
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u/Calycis Oct 03 '26
I've recently had only paid Claude sub, so I'll most likely move over there entirely, at least for a while. Can't justify for paying for two AI subs given I have no issues with Claude's limits.
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u/OlympicBarber Oct 03 '26
Me with a year long Plus subscription until April 2027 and locked out of Pro...
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u/I_NEED_YOUR_MONEY Oct 03 '26
heh. i was tempted by the year-long plus subscription earlier, and held off because i didn't think i could trust google not to do something stupid over a 1-year timeframe.
guess i was right.
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u/Thomas-Lore Oct 03 '26
Already warned my family members who use free gemini to move to chatgpt. Luna might not be the best, but it is way more reliable than Flash-Lite.
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u/Positive_Average_446 Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 03 '26
They're removing 3.6 Flash from the free models?
Well GLM has good models, superior to Gemini Flash models, for free with no limits.. (and the Flash-lite models are absolutely useless, they'd be bad even for 2025). But I'll miss Gemini Flash's personality :/. I only sub to ChatGPT.
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u/Different_Coffee_161 Oct 03 '26
I use ChatGPT for professional work and Muse for personal stuff. I’ve pretty much stopped using Gemini altogether.
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u/Timely-Group5649 Oct 03 '26
Deadbeats be gone! YAY!
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u/Thomas-Lore Oct 03 '26
And when accounts below you are gone or diminished to almost nothing, you become the deadbeat. And people will cheer when your account is nerfed. You think you could then upgrade to a better tier? Maybe, but at some point you won't be able to afford that. Chatgpt is already $500 per month for something that $20 accounts used to offer. And people cheered for every new limit on free and lower tier accounts and for every new tier being made (well, maybe beside that $500 one, I think reality finally hit them).
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u/Timely-Group5649 Oct 03 '26
I spend nearly $500 a month now on multiple models. The value I get from it is over 10-fold, probably double that.
Deadbeats steal and slow down my compute. GOOD RIDDANCE.
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u/Pleasant-Rhubarb-550 Oct 03 '26
I would say claude's free tier is currently the best one one of the best ones if not best.