Gemini Limits by Plan: Free vs AI Plus, Pro and Ultra

Google does not publish a fixed number of prompts, images, videos or Deep Research reports for any Gemini plan. Since May 2026 the Gemini app uses compute-based limits that refresh every five hours until you reach a weekly limit. Google AI Plus ($4.99 a month) gives 2x the limits of the free app, Google AI Pro ($19.99) gives 4x, and Google AI Ultra gives 5x the AI Pro limits at $99.99 or 20x at $199.99. Heavier work such as image and video generation, Deep Research, the Pro model and extended thinking uses up the allowance faster.

Gemini usage limits by plan

Read the Ultra rows carefully. Google states both Ultra multiples against AI Pro, not against the free app, so Ultra at $199.99 is 20 times Pro's allowance, which is itself four times the free allowance. These multiples describe the Gemini app. Google lists other benefits separately, such as each plan's monthly Google Flow credits.

How the five-hour and weekly limits work

Your allowance is measured in compute rather than messages. Google says the calculation factors in the complexity of your prompt, the features you use and the length of the chat, so two people on the same plan can reach the limit after very different numbers of prompts.

• Five-hour refresh: usage refreshes every five hours, so a session limit is usually a short wait.
• Weekly limit: the five-hour refresh stops once you reach your weekly limit, and the app tells you when it will refresh.
• Premium work costs more: Google lists media generation (images, videos and music), Deep Research, the Pro model, and extended thinking or Deep Think as uses that reach the limit faster. A higher effort level on a model also uses more of your limit.
• Where to check: in the Gemini web app, open Settings and then Usage Limits. Gemini also warns you when you are close to a limit.

Google also says limits may change without notice when demand spikes, and that users without a plan are limited first. For free users, compute-heavy features such as Deep Research may be unavailable at busy times.

What each plan unlocks

Limits only matter for features your plan can use at all. The rows come from Google's feature table for the Gemini app, plus its note that Deep Think is for AI Ultra only.

A few details sit outside the table. Downloads of Nano Banana images are 2K with a Google AI plan and 1K without one. Nano Banana 2 has a daily image quota that Google does not number, and once you reach it you cannot redo further images with Nano Banana Pro that day. Deep Research has its own daily request limit and a limit on reports running at the same time; Gemini shows how many requests remain for the day, and AI Pro and Ultra get higher research limits and can run reports on the Pro model. Video generation in the Gemini app uses Gemini Omni and needs a paid plan.

The October 2026 model change

Google is changing which models each plan can choose:

• Without a plan: from October 9, 2026, the free app defaults to Auto, which sends most prompts to Flash-Lite and only some to Flash or Pro. With smart model selection turned off, every reply uses Flash-Lite.
• AI Plus: subscribers keep Flash-Lite and Flash but lose the Pro model. Google emails each subscriber the date the change applies to them. Its plan page may still list Pro for AI Plus until then.
• AI Pro and AI Ultra: Flash-Lite, Flash and Pro all remain selectable.

If you rely on the Pro model, this is the practical difference between AI Plus and AI Pro, ahead of the 2x versus 4x allowance.

What to do when you hit a limit

1. Read the message. Gemini tells you whether you reached a five-hour or weekly limit, and when it refreshes.
2. Keep working on a lighter model. Subscribers who reach their limit can continue the conversation with Flash-Lite.
3. Buy AI credits. Google says you can extend your limits by purchasing AI credits.
4. Spend less per prompt. Lower the effort level, use Flash instead of Pro for routine prompts, and start a new chat when a long one is no longer needed.
5. Upgrade if it keeps happening. Moving from AI Plus to AI Pro doubles the allowance, and each Ultra tier multiplies the AI Pro allowance.

Which plan fits your usage

• Stay on the free app for occasional questions and image generation, and if waiting for a refresh is acceptable. Expect the 32K context window and Auto model routing.
• Choose AI Plus for twice the free allowance, a 128K context window, video generation and Nano Banana Pro redos at the lowest price. After the October change, do not buy it for Pro-model access.
• Choose AI Pro for the Pro model, a 1M-token context window, Gemini Spark and four times the free allowance. It is the cheapest plan that keeps the Pro model after the October change.
• Choose AI Ultra only when AI Pro limits still stop you most weeks, or you need Deep Think. Start with the $99.99 tier (5x Pro) and move to $199.99 (20x Pro) if you still hit the weekly limit.

If you build on Gemini models in your own product, the app plans do not apply. API usage is billed per token, as compared in Gemini AI Pro and Ultra versus API pricing. For full plan prices, storage and bundled Google One benefits, see Gemini pricing. For Veo video credits in Google's creative studio, see Google Flow pricing.