Google rebranded its AI subscriptions at I/O 2025 and launched a new Ultra tier, changing how users access Gemini features and pricing.
Google quietly retired two brand names at I/O 2025. Gemini Advanced and Google One AI Premium are now Google AI Pro, while a new higher tier, Google AI Ultra, sits above both. The company simultaneously expanded what free users in the United States can access, granting them Thinking (3 Pro) for complex reasoning and image generation through Nano Banana Pro.
The rename is a consolidation move. Dropping "Google One" from the AI subscription removes an association with cloud storage that had muddied the product identity for over a year. The shorter "AI Pro" places the subscription squarely alongside offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic rather than anchoring it to a storage brand.
What the tiers actually include
Google AI Pro, still priced at $19.99 a month in the US, carries the feature set that Gemini Advanced subscribers already knew, 9to5Google reports. That means 12 Deep Research reports a day, up to 50 daily image generations through both Nano Banana 2 and Nano Banana Pro, and two Veo 3.1 Fast video clips daily. Screen automation is capped at 12 requests a day; up to 10 scheduled actions can run simultaneously. Subscribers also receive 200 AI Credits per month for Flow and Whisk, Google's generative media tools.
The Plus tier sits below Pro and centers on a 128,000-token context window. Thinking runs at 90 prompts a day, supplemented by 30 daily Pro-model prompts. NotebookLM integration is built in, with limits of 200 notebooks per user, 100 sources per notebook, and 200 daily chats, per 9to5Google. Audio and Video Overviews each allow six per day; music generation adds up to 20 thirty-second tracks or 10 three-minute compositions daily.
Gmail also benefits from the restructure across paid plans. AI Mode pairs Gemini 3 Pro with Nano Banana Pro and gains what Google calls "more" agentic capabilities, though the company stops short of specifics. AI Overviews in Gmail search now generate a direct answer before any individual message is opened, a small but practical shift for anyone processing high email volume.
Free-tier users in the US are not left behind. Thinking (3 Pro) is now available daily with rate limits, Gemini 3 Flash drives the "Auto" default, and Nano Banana Pro image generation has been unlocked with daily caps, 9to5Google notes. The available toolset for non-paying users is notably wider than it was twelve months ago.
The Ultra question
Ultra sits above Pro with higher limits and, presumably, a higher price. Google has not published Ultra's full feature set or pricing in publicly available documentation as of this writing. Its apparent role is to anchor the premium ceiling for power users and enterprise evaluators who regularly exhaust Pro limits, a structure that mirrors how rivals have layered their own top tiers.
What it means for the market
Google's restructured stack now follows the same pattern rivals have established: a capable free tier, a mid-tier for regular users, and a ceiling tier for the heaviest consumers. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have introduced premium subscription levels priced well above $19.99 a month to serve that segment. Google entering that bracket signals it expects a meaningful share of its base to need more than a $20 plan can provide.
The removal of the Google One branding is a more deliberate signal than it first appears, per 9to5Google. Google One is a mature product tied to storage economics, while AI models scale on inference costs. Keeping both under one brand created pricing constraints that separate naming removes, and that flexibility will matter as model upgrades and cost structures evolve through the rest of 2026.
What remains open is not what Plus or Pro include but what Ultra offers and at what price. Until Google publishes full documentation, any user weighing the top tier is deciding on partial information. The next major developer event should close that gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Google One AI Premium and Gemini Advanced?
Both names were retired at Google I/O 2025. The two products merged into a single rebrand: Google AI Pro, still available at $19.99 per month in the US.
What is Google AI Ultra?
Ultra is a new tier above Pro introduced alongside the rebrand at I/O 2025. Its full features and pricing had not been fully disclosed in public documentation at the time of publication.
What AI tools do free Google users get in 2026?
Free users in the US now have access to Thinking (3 Pro) with daily limits, Gemini 3 Flash as the default "Auto" model, and Nano Banana Pro for image generation, also subject to daily caps.
What separates Google AI Plus from Pro?
Plus centers on a 128,000-token context window, 90 daily Thinking prompts, and NotebookLM integration with music and video generation. Pro, at $19.99 a month, raises daily limits across research, image, and video tools and adds 200 monthly AI Credits for Flow and Whisk.