Google restructures AI subscriptions at I/O 2026 with three tiers and consumption-based billing replacing daily prompt limits

THE DECODER · May 19, 2026

AI Summary

•Google announced three subscription tiers: Google AI Plus at $7.99 per month, Google AI Pro at $19.99 per month, and Google AI Ultra starting at $99.99 per month. The company also reduced its previous top tier from $250 to $200.
•The billing model shifts from daily prompt limits to a "compute-used" system where simple text requests consume less quota than complex video or coding prompts, with limits resetting every five hours until a weekly cap takes effect. Users who exceed quota are automatically downgraded to smaller models.
•New features across tiers include Gemini Omni (for creating and editing video from text, images, and video) and Gemini 3.5 Flash (for fast testing and debugging). Ultra subscribers gain access to Gemini Spark (an AI agent that runs tasks across Google products) and Project Genie (for building interactive worlds).
•Gemini Spark launches first as a beta for Ultra subscribers in the US, while Project Genie is available only on the $200 plan. Google Pics, voice features in Gmail, Docs, and Keep are expected to roll out this summer for Pro and Ultra subscribers.

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