Google released Gemini CLI three weeks ago which is a free, open source alternative to one of the most sophisticated AI development tools available Claude Code. For developers paying $20 min monthly for Claude Code, this presents a viable free option.
I spent two weeks testing both tools on identical projects to understand whether free can compete with premium in AI development.
The Challenge
I designed a test involving complete Postgres database layer implementation in a sample saas application which included schema design, sample data seeding, querying and indexing. I used the same context and instructions for the agents. I used Opus 4 for planning and Sonnet 4 for implementation while Gemini mostly used the 2.5 pro model and switched to 2.5 flash later on.
Overall Performance
Gemini CLI: Completed in 13 minutes with active guidance, Required more interactions to maintain consistency.
Claude Code: Completed in 7 minutes with minimal supervision, Required comparatively (~50%) less interactions.
Pricing
Gemini CLI: Free(ish) with generous limits (60 requests/minute, 1000/day).
Claude Code: $20 minimum monthly plan with limit resetting every 5 hours
Context Understanding
Gemini CLI:
- 1 million token context window (5x larger than Claude Code)
- Built-in Google Search integration and MCP tools support
- Multimodal capabilities for processing images, files, and diverse data types
Claude Code:
- 200k token context window but superior context compacting
- Better architectural decision awareness
- A plan mode adding to some deterministic nature
- Few bugs and consistent reliability across sessions
Code Quality
Gemini CLI follows instructions literally, implementing exactly what you request. Output can feel quite basic but achieves core functionality reliably. Sticks precisely to specifications without creative additions.
Claude Code produces polished implementations. It applies current best practices in schema design, normalization, and data integrity, sometimes even suggesting improvements or optimizations beyond the initial prompt.
Pain Points
Gemini CLI:
- Frequent rate limiting forces model downgrades (Pro to Flash)
- Uses about 4 times as many tokens as Claude, which quickly erases its advantage of having a larger context window.
- Gets stuck in implementation loops during complex tasks
- Lacks dedicated project initialization commands
- Defaults to outdated frameworks (Bootstrap vs Tailwind)
- Unpredictable behaviour and difficulty recovering from tool failures
- Issues understanding local image files as context
Claude Code:
- Expensive subscription costs for heavy usage ($100 and $200 monthly plans)
- Sometimes adds unwanted features without requests
- Runs out of tokens quickly on the $20 dollar plan and have to wait for it to reset.
Assessment
After two weeks of intensive testing, here's my honest take: Gemini CLI is not there yet on the podium with Claude Code but it's free tier offers an incredible entry point to understand these workflows before investing in premium tools. I'd say it delivers ~60% of Claude Code's capabilities at zero cost. Claude Code still remains the king for reliability, stability and that intangible taste that makes code feel professionally crafted.
There's some hope
Within three weeks of launch, the GitHub repository exploded with activity, 146 pull requests, daily commits and a thriving community of contributors.
While Claude Code evolves at Anthropic's pace, Gemini CLI could catch up rapidly through community contributions. I'd say it will take some months to catchup with Claude and be competitive.
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I'm Sanket, helping developers keep up with AI dev tools, latest insights and tips delivered straight to your inbox- TheAIStack.dev
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