I just spent Several hours fighting Google’s so-called free-tier caps just to build an app for their AI Studio Multimodal Challenge.
The challenge requires images, video, or audio to complete your project. Google explicitly states you can use the free tier and that it won’t limit your ability to compete.
In practice? The free tier barely lets you iterate at all.
Roadblock #1: Free tier = basically unusable
- Want to generate a few images? You’ll hit quota within an hour.
- Want to use video (which is a huge advantage in a multimodal competition)? Nope — it’s locked behind billing.
- The result? Either pay up or spend your dev time waiting for limits to reset.
This is the textbook definition of pay-to-win.
And in game design, pay-to-win is universally hated.
Roadblock #2: Deployment requires a credit card
After grinding through the quotas, I finally tried to submit my app.
Guess what? You literally cannot deploy your app without providing a credit card.
Deployment via Cloud Run is required for submission.
No credit card = no deploy = no submission.
So even though the rules claim the free tier is enough, the submission process forces billing anyway.
Why this is misleading
Google says:
- ✅ Free tier is enough
- ✅ Paid APIs are optional
Reality:
- ❌ Free tier limits block iteration
- ❌ Video/audio integrations are gated behind billing
- ❌ Cloud Run requires a credit card just to submit
The messaging is a lure. The execution is a funnel.
Why this matters
I’m a full-time university student living in one of the most expensive cities on the planet. I can only work part-time.
I don’t appreciate “developer challenges” that are actually money funnels, forcing me to hand over my card just to compete.
If a challenge is supposed to reward skill, creativity, and innovation, the barrier to entry should be:
- Skill
- Curiosity
- Ideas
Not who has a credit card.
Final Word
Until Google stops designing “free” challenges that are actually pay-to-win traps, I won’t participate in any of them.
Platforms like Dev.to should also reconsider hosting competitions that are not genuinely accessible. If fostering real talent and innovation is the goal, accessibility should come first.
So clearly, I won't be submitting my app that I made even though I already fought through the frustration of the free tier limits and I will simply take the code and go make it a proper local desktop app that connects to my local AI stack. I am not giving them a credit card just to submit an entry.
I'm not one to humor multi-billion dollar corporations who beg for money. You have plenty and you could have done this properly, instead you used it a weapon to funnel more money in.
//Ghotet
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