Google's $20 AI plan may be more than most people need

Google's $20 a month AI Pro plan may be more than most people need. An Android Police writer who paid for Pro for over a year spent a week testing it against the cheaper AI Plus plan and concluded that Plus is the better pick for typical users.

What changed

At the end of September, Google overhauled the One plans that include Gemini, its AI assistant. Prices are frozen, but what each tier gets has shifted. In November, Plus loses its top model and falls back to an older version of Flash. Pro runs the newer Flash 3.8. Free users will only get Flash Lite, a lighter engine.

What Plus still does

The reviewer saw no big difference in speed when making images and video clips. Quality differences were subtle. Plus keeps the tools for images, video and audio, plus document and photo uploads, voice chat with Gemini Live, Notebooks, Gems and Scheduled Actions. Users can also still pick a Low, Medium or High thinking level.

The real gap is in limits. After five video prompts, the Plus account hit a cap and video generation stayed locked until a 24-hour reset. Pro doubles that limit.

What Plus gives up

• Task, the feature formerly called Spark
• Argon, the newest model, which helps most with multistep jobs like coding
• Some depth in deep research and heavy data work, per the reviewer

The reviewer found Flash was sometimes quicker than Argon, even with both set to low thinking. For casual use, the standard model was called more than enough.

Storage matters too

Pro includes 5TB of storage. Plus has 2TB, ten times the base 200GB. The reviewer says 2TB should last years for photos, Gmail and Drive, and can be shared among two or three family members. Pro's storage was the main reason the reviewer put up with the $20 price.

What to do

Check what you actually use. If you mostly chat, upload files and need storage, Plus may do the job. If you rely on Task, Argon or higher limits, or need 5TB, Pro still makes sense. The reviewer also suggests cross-checking Gemini answers with other AI tools.