Google · Beginner → Intermediate · 8 lessons · about 80 minutes · updated 2026-09-04
Gemini 101: The Complete Beginner's Course (Pricing-First)
Learn what Gemini is, which model to pick, and what each plan and API call really costs before you pay Google a cent.
Anyone who uses or is about to use Gemini — the free app, Google AI Pro, or the Gemini API — and wants to understand what they are paying for. No coding needed until lesson 7.
Course outline
- 1What is Gemini?What Gemini is, who builds it, what it is genuinely good at, and the limits Google's marketing does not mention.8 min · 3 objectives
- 2Gemini models explained: Pro, Flash, Flash Lite and GemmaThe current Gemini model family, what each tier is for, how context windows work, and the live price ladder so you can see what a wrong choice costs.10 min · 3 objectives
- 3Pricing and plans: free, AI Pro, AI Ultra and the APIEvery way you can pay for Gemini, what each one actually buys, and a simple test for whether a subscription or the API is cheaper for you.10 min · 3 objectives
- 4Getting started: your first 15 minutes with GeminiCreate an account, tour the interface, fix the settings that matter for privacy and cost, and finish a real task before you decide whether to pay.9 min · 3 objectives
- 5Prompting basics for GeminiHow to write prompts that work on Gemini specifically, with three before-and-after examples and the habits that save both retries and tokens.10 min · 3 objectives
- 6Everyday workflows: writing, research, coding, data and planningFive concrete workflows you can run today, what each one needs from the free app versus a paid plan, and roughly what it costs on the API.11 min · 3 objectives
- 7Gemini API quickstartWhen the API beats a subscription, how to make your first call with curl and Python, and the two features — context caching and batch mode — that cut the bill.12 min · 3 objectives
- 8Cost control: the cheapest way to get the resultRouting, caching, batch, when to downgrade or cancel, and the red flags that mean you are overpaying for Gemini.10 min · 3 objectives
Frequently asked
Is Gemini free to use?
Yes. The Gemini app has a free tier with rate limits, and the Gemini API has a free tier in Google AI Studio. Paid plans (Google AI Pro, Google AI Ultra) add higher limits, the strongest models and Google Workspace integration. See [Gemini free vs paid](/compare/gemini-free-vs-paid).
What is the difference between Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra?
Both are consumer subscriptions. In our catalogue Google AI Pro is listed at $19.99 a month and Google AI Ultra at $249 a month at the time of writing. Pro is the plan most people should consider; Ultra is aimed at heavy multimodal and research users. Full detail in lesson 3 and on [Google AI plans](/pricing/google-ai-plans).
Do I need the Gemini API or a subscription?
If you chat with Gemini a few times a day, a subscription (or the free app) is simpler. If you are automating a task, processing many documents, or building something, the API is usually cheaper because you only pay for tokens you use. Lesson 3 and lesson 7 walk through the maths.
Which Gemini model should a beginner use?
Start with a Flash model. It is much cheaper than Pro per token and good enough for most writing, summarising and Q&A. Move up to Pro only when Flash visibly fails on your task. Lesson 2 shows the live price ladder.
Is Gemini better than ChatGPT or Claude?
It depends on the task and on which Google products you already use. Gemini's edge is long context, native multimodal input and Workspace integration. We keep task-by-task and price-by-price comparisons at [ChatGPT vs Gemini](/compare/chatgpt-vs-gemini) and [Claude vs Gemini](/compare/claude-vs-gemini).
How is this course different from Google's own guides?
Google's guides teach features. This course teaches features with the price attached, using live numbers from our catalogue, so you can decide what to pay for and what to skip.