Google preparing 'AI Ultra Lite' tier between $20 Pro and $250 Ultra plans, adding usage dashboard

Google is preparing a new subscription tier to bridge the gap between its $20 Gemini Pro and $250 Ultra plans, according to code found in the latest Gemini macOS app update.

The new tier, currently codenamed "Neon" and labeled "Google AI Ultra Lite" in the app strings, addresses a growing issue across AI platforms: usage limits and token budgets. While Claude subscribers have reported tighter session limits and GitHub Copilot has adjusted pricing for model access, Google appears to be positioning itself for increased demand.

Pricing and Features Unknown

No pricing information was found in the app code, though a range between $50 and $150 would logically separate it from the existing tiers. Both Anthropic and OpenAI offer $100 monthly plans, which Google may target. Features beyond increased usage limits have not been disclosed.

The current $250 Ultra plan includes exclusive demos like Project Genie, increased access to the Flow video and music generator, larger NotebookLM notebooks, and premium features across other Google apps.

Usage Dashboard Coming

Alongside the new tier, Google is building a dedicated usage page at gemini.google.com/usage to display token budgets. The system tracks separate five-hour and weekly usage limits, matching the current implementation in Google Antigravity. The dashboard will also show "overage credits" that allow subscribers to exceed their base allotment.

Anthropic offers a similar usage page for Claude subscribers showing current session percentages, reset timers, and weekly budgets. Gemini's version is not yet live.

Timing and Context

The development comes as Google co-founder Sergey Brin reportedly leads a "strike team" to improve Gemini's code generation capabilities, according to The Information. With Google I/O weeks away, the company appears to be preparing infrastructure for potential increased usage from coding agents, which are notably token-intensive.

Coding-focused AI tools have not yet gained significant traction among developers in Google's ecosystem compared to competitors like Claude and GitHub Copilot. The usage dashboard and intermediate pricing tier suggest Google expects this to change.

What This Means

Google is following the industry pattern of tiered pricing with explicit usage limits rather than the "unlimited" positioning many AI services initially adopted. The addition of a mid-tier plan and usage transparency tools indicates the company expects increased demand but wants to avoid the user frustration that has hit Claude and other platforms when limits tighten unexpectedly. Whether Google can drive that demand depends on improvements to Gemini's code generation capabilities, which currently lag behind competitors despite the company's extensive developer tool ecosystem.