Google Gemini Restricts Free Model Access Amid Compute-Based Limits

Google Gemini has announced changes to its model access for free and paid users. Starting October 9, free users will no longer have access to the Flash and Pro models, while AI Plus subscribers will lose Pro access.

The changes are part of a broader shift towards compute-based usage limits that refresh every five hours with a weekly cap. Paid users have higher limits than free users, and features like media generation and Deep Research use up a person's limit fastest.

AI Pro and AI Ultra users will not be affected by the model access changes and will continue to have access to all three models. They will also gain access to Deep Think, a reasoning mode that was previously only available on the costlier plans.