Google Gemini vs MiniMax
Google Gemini and MiniMax are both AI assistants tools. Google Gemini is aimed at small businesses and creators, while MiniMax is aimed at developers and small businesses. Google Gemini costs less, from $4.99/mo versus $22/mo for MiniMax. Both have a free plan.
Google's AI assistant across Workspace and Android
Low-cost agentic coding models, video and speech via API and M Plan
| Pricing | Freemium · $5 | Freemium · $22 |
| Starting price | $4.99/mo | $22/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Small businesses, Creators, Developers | Developers, Small businesses, Enterprise, Creators |
| Platforms | web, ios, android | web, macos, windows, linux, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2023 | — · 2022 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Google Gemini if
Google Workspace users and Android households who want AI where they already work.
- Deep Workspace and Android integration
- Bundled with Workspace plans and storage
- Strong multimodal and long-context abilities
Look elsewhere if: Users outside the Google ecosystem who prefer ChatGPT's apps or Claude's writing.
Choose MiniMax if
Developers and cost-sensitive teams that run agentic coding and automation workloads and want low token prices behind Anthropic- or OpenAI-style APIs.
- Very low token prices for agentic coding workloads
- Drop-in base URL for tools built on the Anthropic SDK
- One platform covers text, video, speech and image generation
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need top-tier frontier models with mature enterprise admin and compliance controls (Claude, Gemini).
Google Gemini vs MiniMax pricing
Google Gemini
- Free$0Flash-Lite model, Deep Research, 15 GB storage
- Google AI Plus$4.99/moFlash model, 2x Free limits, 400 GB storage
- Google AI Pro$19.99/moGemini 4 Argon, Pro model, 4x Free limits, 5 TB
- Google AI Ultra$99.99/mo5x Pro limits; $199.99/mo tier with 20x
- Gemini Enterprise Business$21/seat/moFrom; for businesses, up to 300 licenses
MiniMax
- MiniMax Code Free$0Limited M3.1 Flash, image and speech use in MiniMax Code
- M3.1 Flash API$0.15/1M input tokensOutput $0.60/1M, cached input $0.015/1M; pay-as-you-go
- M3 API$0.30/1M input tokensUp to 512k input, after permanent 50% off; output $1.20/1M
- M Plan Go$22/moM3.1 Flash, image and speech models; $220 billed yearly
- M Plan Explore$55/mo3x Go usage, adds H3 video; $550 billed yearly
Google Gemini · Key features
- Chat with Gemini Pro and Flash models, long context
- Deep Research reports and Canvas for drafting
- Image (Imagen) and video (Veo) generation
- Integration in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet and Android
- Gems: custom assistants; NotebookLM for sources
- Live voice and camera conversations on mobile
Cons
- Feature availability varies by region and plan
- Inconsistent experience across surfaces
- Ultra tier is very expensive
MiniMax · Key features
- MiniMax-M3.1-Flash at $0.15 input and $0.60 output per 1M tokens
- 1M-token context window on M3.1 Flash and M3
- Effort setting on M3.1 Flash, from low to max, to trade thinking depth for cost
- Anthropic- and OpenAI-compatible endpoints, plus the Responses API
- M Plan key usable in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and OpenCode
- MiniMax Code agent on web, desktop, CLI, iOS and Android
Cons
- M Plan is for individual interactive use, not production traffic
- Usage resets in 5-hour and weekly windows that can cut sessions short
- M2.5 and M2.7 retire on November 18, 2026, forcing migrations
Google Gemini vs MiniMax: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Google Gemini or MiniMax?
Google Gemini starts at $4.99/mo and MiniMax at $22/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Google Gemini and MiniMax have a free plan?
Yes, both Google Gemini and MiniMax have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.