Google Gemini drops Flash and Pro for free users on October 9

Google is cutting back the free version of the Gemini app. Starting Thursday, October 9, users without a Google AI plan will only be able to use Flash-Lite, the smallest of its three models. Flash and Pro will no longer be available to them. Google published the change in a new help article titled "Changes to Gemini model access and limits." It applies to personal Google accounts. The article does not mention work or school accounts.

AI Plus loses Pro, AI Pro gets Deep Think

The cheapest paid plan is affected as well. Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month in the US and will keep Flash-Lite and Flash. Pro will no longer be included. Google has not set a date for Plus subscribers. They "should receive an email that explains when these changes will take effect for you," according to the help article. AI Pro at $19.99 a month and AI Ultra keep all three models. Pro subscribers also get Deep Think, which Google describes as "maximum parallel reasoning." The company's current limits page lists the mode as AI Ultra only, and answers can take a few minutes. Anthropic made a similar move in September, when it kept Claude Opus 5.5 for paying customers.

Higher effort uses more of your limit

Every available model will get an effort setting with low, medium and high levels. Google says higher effort leads to more thorough answers but "will also use more of your limit." Gemini has used compute-based limits since May. Usage refreshes every five hours until you reach a weekly cap. The Pro model, Deep Research and media generation count for more than simple prompts. Free users now face a model restriction in addition to those limits.

Google's plans page still lists the old setup

Google's US plans page for Gemini still lists "Access to 3.6 Flash" and "Varying access to 3.1 Pro" for the free tier. The general limits article also still shows all three models for every plan. Both pages describe the situation before October 9, and only the new help article is dated. Google does not say which version of Flash-Lite free users will get. 9to5Google, which first reported the change, lists it as Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.

What to do before Thursday

If you have used Pro without a subscription for long documents, code or difficult math, finish that work by Wednesday. Google does not say whether existing chats will switch to Flash-Lite after the change. To check your remaining usage, open gemini.google.com and select Settings, then Usage Limits, at the bottom left. The new article does not mention the context window, which Google's limits page puts at 32,000 tokens without a plan. Our overview compares what the free versions of ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot offer, and our guide to AI subscription prices in 2026 shows which plan is worth paying for.