Of course. Here is the updated comparison focusing specifically on Gemini 2.5 Pro, presented alongside Vertex AI and the Claude models.
| Feature | Gemini 2.5 Pro (via AI Studio/API) | Vertex AI (with Gemini 2.5 Pro) | Claude Sonnet 4 | Claude Opus 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Use Case | Web-based tool for developers to prototype and build with Google's latest model without platform overhead[1]. | Enterprise-grade platform to build, deploy, and scale ML applications using Gemini 2.5 Pro with enhanced security and governance[2]. | A balance of performance and cost, ideal for general development, enterprise chatbots, and code generation[3]. | Anthropic's highest-performance model for complex, multi-step tasks, advanced coding, and high-level research[3][4]. |
| Pricing Model | The AI Studio tool is free. Costs are based on API usage in a pay-as-you-go model[5]. | Pay-as-you-go for model usage, infrastructure, and other integrated MLOps services on the platform[2][6]. | Pay-as-you-go based on the number of input and output tokens processed through the API[7]. | Pay-as-you-go based on the number of input and output tokens processed through the API[7]. |
| Cost - Input | $1.25 per 1M tokens (for prompts ≤ 200k tokens)[5][8] | $1.25 per 1M tokens (for prompts ≤ 200k tokens)[2] | $3 per 1 million tokens[7][3] | $15 per 1 million tokens[7][3] |
| Cost - Output | $10.00 per 1M tokens (for prompts ≤ 200k tokens)[5][8] | $10.00 per 1M tokens (for prompts ≤ 200k tokens)[2] | $15 per 1 million tokens[7][3] | $75 per 1 million tokens[7][3] |
| Context Window | Up to 1 million tokens, with higher pricing for prompts over 200k tokens[5][9]. | Up to 1 million tokens, with higher pricing for prompts over 200k tokens[2]. | 200,000 tokens[3] | 200,000 tokens[3] |
| Free Tier | A generous free tier for the Gemini API is available with rate limits, designed for experimentation[5]. | Does not have a persistent free tier for the model itself, but offers a free trial with credits for new Google Cloud customers[2]. | No specific free API tier, but free access to the model is available through the Claude.ai web interface with usage limits[10]. | No specific free API tier, but free access is available through the Claude Pro web subscription ($20/month)[7][10]. |
| Best For | Developers and individuals who want to experiment with a state-of-the-art model and only pay for what they use, without initial platform costs[1]. | Businesses and large-scale projects needing a fully-managed, scalable environment for the entire ML lifecycle with enterprise features[2]. | Developers and businesses looking for a reliable and cost-effective model for production applications that require strong performance[3]. | Users and organizations requiring top-tier intelligence for mission-critical or highly complex tasks where performance is the primary concern[3][11]. |
[1] https://aistudio.google.com [2] https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/generative-ai/pricing [3] https://blog.laozhang.ai/ai-tools/claude-4-pricing-guide-2025/ [4] https://www.anthropic.com/claude/opus [5] https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing [6] https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/pricing [7] https://apidog.com/blog/claude-4-pricing/ [8] https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/04/gemini-2-5-pro-is-googles-most-expensive-ai-model-yet/ [9] https://artificialanalysis.ai/models/gemini-2-5-pro [10] https://www.anthropic.com/pricing [11] https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/comments/1ktimuw/claude_opus_4_is_super_expensive/ [12] https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/comments/1jrdqnz/gemini_25_pro_pricing_announced/ [13] https://one.google.com/about/google-ai-plans/ [14] https://livechatai.com/gemini-2-5-pro-pricing-calculator [15] https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/about-claude/pricing [16] https://gemini.google/subscriptions/ [17] https://console.cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/publishers/google/model-garden/gemini-2.5-pro [18] https://www.anthropic.com/claude/sonnet [19] https://discuss.ai.google.dev/t/how-do-i-accurately-calculate-gemini-2-5-pro-api-pricing/81969 [20] https://livechatai.com/claude-opus-4-pricing-calculator