Understanding Google’s New Gemini Rating System and Tracking Your Usage

Google has not clearly defined the usage limits for the free tier, referring to them simply as “standard.” Users on the AI Plus plan receive double these “standard” limits, while those on the AI Pro plan enjoy quadruple the limits. In contrast, AI Ultra limits can be either five or twenty times higher than those of AI Pro, depending on your payment tier.

All users can access the complete range of Gemini AI models, including Flash-Lite, Flash, and Pro. As one advances through these models, they become more advanced and count more toward usage. Each model has different “thinking” tiers—Standard, Extended, and Deep Think—which also influence response quality, speed, and usage limits.

Another critical distinction between these models is the context window size, which refers to how much information can be included in a single conversation thread. For free users, this context window consists of 32K tokens (small text segments)—approximately 24,000 words. AI Plus users have a limit of 128K tokens (around 96,000 words), while AI Pro and Ultra users can access up to a million tokens (about 750,000 words).

Check Your AI Usage

Check how close you are to your plan’s usage limits.

Photograph: Courtesy of David Nield

Though specific rules regarding AI usage might be vague, checking your status is straightforward. In the Gemini web app, click on the cog icon (bottom left) and select Usage limits; for the mobile app on Android or iOS, tap the menu button (top left), then the cog, and finally Usage limits.

You will notice two bars displayed. The top bar represents your current usage, which resets every five hours. Should you exceed this limit, you’ll need to wait before returning; the Gemini app indicates the time until the next reset.

The second bar shows your weekly limit, which resets weekly, as you would expect. (This will also be visible on-screen.) If you reach these limits while on a paid plan, your access will revert to the most basic AI model, which you can continue to use until the following reset.

It’s common to see upgrade offers on the usage limits screen. Additionally, be aware that Google’s support documentation states these limits may change without prior notice, typically affecting free users first if capacity management becomes necessary.