X-twitter Facebook-f Pinterest-p
X-twitter Facebook-f Pinterest-p

Google overhauls its AI plans – which one should you now choose?


Google's Gemini AI

Lance Whitney/ZDNET

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET’s key takeaways

  • Google has introduced a cheaper AI Ultra plan at $100 a month.
  • The full Ultra Plan is now $50 cheaper at $200 a month.
  • Certain AI Pro subscribers also get YouTube Premium Lite for free.

Looking to subscribe to one of Google’s Gemini AI plans? That decision just got trickier thanks to the latest changes. Yes, Google has rejiggered its various AI plans with lower prices and more features.

Also: Google I/O 2026 live: The latest updates

At its I/O conference on Tuesday, Google kicked off another variant of its most expensive AI Ultra plan, but with a lower price tag. Aimed at developers, tech workers, and creative pros, the lower-cost version will run $100 a month. At that price, the subscription offers the following benefits.

  • A usage limit five times higher than the AI Pro plan in both the Gemini app and the AI-powered Google Antigravity agentic development tool
  • Priority access to Google Antigravity
  • Integration with the new Gemini 3.5 Flash for quicker testing and debugging of your computer code
  • 20TB of cloud storage to house those hefty databases and media content
  • A YouTube Premium individual plan with ad-free access to YouTube videos

For developers and other pros who want the full AI Ultra plan, Google has cut the monthly price from $250 to $200. At that cost, you get a usage limit 20 times higher in the Gemini app and Google Antigravity, along with an array of other perks.

More new features for every plan

Whether you opt for the full AI Ultra plan or the new and cheaper variant, a couple of other features are heading your way.

Gemini Spark. Available only in the US, Gemini Spark is a new AI agent that aims to follow your commands to perform specific assignments on its own, under your direction. Spark can navigate across Google’s different products and services to handle complex tasks more quickly than you could manually. Rolling out to testers this week, Spark will launch as a beta in the US next week for all Google Ultra AI subscribers.

Also: 6 Android Auto apps I wish I found sooner, because they make every drive easier

Project Genie. Currently available as a Google Labs experiment, Project Genie is a research prototype that lets you conjure up your own interactive virtual worlds. By supplying text descriptions and images, you’re able to create mini games and other environments populated by your own characters. Genie is now popping out of its experimental bottle and heading around the globe to all Google AI Ultra users on the $200 plan. Plus, you’ll be able to tap into Google’s Street View to add a dose of reality to your fictional lands.

If you’re a developer or other pro eyeing one of the two Ultra plans, the less expensive variant may be your best bet. If you find yourself hitting its limits, you can always switch to the more expensive subscription. Otherwise, that $100-a-month price tag makes the cheaper one quite tempting.

Ah, but Google isn’t forgetting about people on its other AI plans, including Plus and Pro.

Gemini Omni. Rolling out globally to all four AI plans (Plus, Pro, and the two Ultras) is the new Gemini Omni model, designed to generate videos. Omni takes a multimodal approach, which means you can add your own text, images, and videos to create your short video productions. You can fashion the characters, scenes, visuals, sounds, and effects, and then edit your video to fine-tune it. Omni will take the stage in the Google Flow video generator to help achieve greater consistency in character and voice from one scene to another.

Gemini 3.5 Flash. Now rolling out globally across all four Google AI plans, the new Gemini 3.5 Flash frontier model promises faster speeds and greater understanding than its predecessor, especially for agentic and coding tasks.

Also: I tested ChatGPT Plus vs. Gemini Pro to see which is better – and if it’s worth switching

AI inbox in Gmail. Already available to AI Ultra plans and now rolling out to AI Plus and AI Pro plans in the US, Gmail’s AI inbox aims to help you better manage your inbox. Analyzing the torrent of emails you likely receive, Gemini will suggest items for your to-do list, mark those items as done, draft replies, and find links to related files in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Daily brief. Accessible to all Google AI subscribers, the daily brief is another feature moving from experimental status to full availability. Here, an AI agent scours your emails, calendar appointments, and Gemini chats to see what’s new, urgent, or overdue. The daily email you receive compiles all those items into a digestible, readable list and suggests next steps. The goal is to review your priorities and take action on the most pressing ones.

YouTube Premium Lite plan at no extra charge

And there’s one more thing.

YouTube Premium Lite. Free access to YouTube Premium is already included in a Google AI Ultra plan. But now it’s expanding. Over the next few days, AI Pro subscribers in certain countries will get a free YouTube Premium Lite plan at no extra charge. In contrast to a full Premium plan, the Lite flavor quashes ads for gaming, fashion, beauty, news, and other topics but still displays them for music and many other videos.

Also: YouTube Premium vs. Premium Lite: Is the cheaper tier still your best deal?

Google measures how much you use Gemini to make sure you stay within the limits of your plan. But the way your use is calculated has now changed. Instead of treating each prompt as equal against your limits, Google is using a compute-based model. This approach factors in the complexity of your prompt, the features you use, and the length of your chat. Your limit will refresh every five hours until you reach your weekly quota.

If you hit your limit, you’ll be shifted from the larger AI models to the smaller ones. AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers can also purchase AI credits on the go if they need to continue using the more advanced models for Google Antigravity, Google Flow, and the Gemini app.

Unless you’re a developer who needs an Ultra plan, the decision comes down to the AI Plus plan at $8 a month and the AI Pro plan at $20 a month. The Plus subscription limits how much you can use Gemini and other AI features by imposing stricter quotas. If you’re currently looking for a Gemini plan but don’t anticipate heavy usage, you may want to opt for the AI Plus subscription and save yourself $12 a month or $144 a year.

Also: Google’s AI Overviews will show you advice from other people now

Another option, though, is to look for a discount. For example, Verizon offers a perk: you pay $10 a month for an AI Pro subscription. This is the main reason I stick with the Pro plan; otherwise, I would seriously consider the Plus plan.

Whichever plan you choose, remember that Google charges for them on a monthly basis. That means you can always switch to a different subscription from one month to another to see which one works best.





Source link

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get our latest articles delivered straight to your inbox. No spam, we promise.

AMD revives one of its best-known CPUs as a 10th anniversary model

Rapid7 Caught Attackers Abusing Forged VPN Cookies Against Multiple Customers

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 99

Security Affairs newsletter Round 579 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

3 gritty Prime Video shows to watch this weekend (May 1

Rapid7 Caught Attackers Abusing Forged VPN Cookies Against Multiple Customers

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 99

Security Affairs newsletter Round 579 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Netflix buried this Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, and it’s better than Encanto

Rapid7 Caught Attackers Abusing Forged VPN Cookies Against Multiple Customers

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 99

Security Affairs newsletter Round 579 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Recent Reviews

3 gritty Prime Video shows to watch this weekend (May 1


When it comes to content, there’s little I love more than a good, gritty crime drama. From their dark, cynical, often realistic portrayals of criminal underworlds, violence, and justice systems to their heavily flawed, obsessed, anti-hero protagonists and intense, gritty tones, it all sucks us in, and it’s why we can’t look away. These types of criminal shows have carved out a powerful space in television by refusing to glamorize the worlds they depict and being willing to confront uncomfortable truths.

This weekend on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S., we’re exploring three immensely popular, critically acclaimed criminal shows that will hook you from the get-go with their honesty, and my top pick is a must-see that reinvented the police procedural genre.

3

City on a Hill

A Wire-like look at corruption, race, and justice

Based on a story by Ben Affleck and author Charlie MacLean, the underrated crime drama City on a Hill revisits a charged moment in Massachusetts history known as The Boston Miracle. For 18 months in the mid-90s, gang-related violence dropped 63% as the result of a community-wide initiative developed in collaboration with the Boston Police Department, street workers, juvenile corrections officers, churches, and neighborhood programs. Kevin Bacon (Footloose), Aldis Hodge (Cross), and Jonathan Tucker (Kingdom) headline the cast.

Set in early 1990s Boston, corruption, violent criminals, and racism are normal parts of life, and to make matters worse, they’re backed by local law enforcement agencies. The series focuses on an unlikely alliance between hardened, corrupt, charismatic FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Bacon) and idealistic Assistant District Attorney Decourcy Ward (Hodge) as they work together to navigate the city and take down a family of armored car thieves, aiming to overhaul the broken criminal justice system.



















Quiz
8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge

Prime Video movies
Trivia challenge

From thrillers to tearjerkers — see how well you know these Amazon Prime Video films.

DramaThrillerTrue StoryComedySports

In Crime 101, what profession does the main character use as cover while pulling off elaborate heists?

That’s right! The protagonist poses as a real estate agent, using the job’s access and mobility as a convenient front for criminal activity. The film plays with how ordinary professions can mask extraordinary deception.

Not quite — the correct answer is real estate agent. The film uses this cover cleverly, showing how a respectable-seeming profession can provide the perfect camouflage for a career criminal operating in plain sight.

In Saltburn, which prestigious English university does protagonist Oliver Quick attend when he befriends Felix Catton?

Correct! Oliver and Felix meet at Oxford, where the stark class divide between scholarship student Oliver and the aristocratic Felix is immediately established. That university setting is crucial to the film’s themes of privilege and obsession.

Not quite — it’s Oxford where Oliver and Felix first cross paths. Director Emerald Fennell deliberately chose Oxford’s world of old money and social stratification to set up the film’s exploration of class envy and manipulation.

In The Tender Bar, based on J.R. Moehringer’s memoir, who plays Uncle Charlie, the bartender who becomes a father figure to young J.R.?

Spot on! Ben Affleck plays the warm and charismatic Uncle Charlie, earning considerable praise for the role. Affleck’s performance was seen as one of the film’s greatest strengths, bringing real depth to a man who shapes a fatherless boy’s entire worldview.

The correct answer is Ben Affleck. His portrayal of Uncle Charlie was widely praised as a career highlight, capturing the rough charm of a bartender who becomes the most important male role model in J.R.’s life.

In the 2024 Prime Video remake of Road House, who plays ex-UFC fighter Elwood Dalton, the new bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse?

That’s right! Jake Gyllenhaal steps into the role made famous by Patrick Swayze, playing a disgraced MMA fighter hired to clean up a rowdy bar in the Florida Keys. Gyllenhaal underwent intense physical training to prepare for the action-heavy role.

The correct answer is Jake Gyllenhaal. He took on the iconic role previously played by Patrick Swayze in the 1989 original, with the remake shifting the setting from Missouri to the Florida Keys and updating the protagonist’s fighting background to MMA.

Thirteen Lives depicts the dramatic 2018 rescue of a youth soccer team trapped in a cave in which country?

Correct! The film recreates the harrowing rescue of the Wild Boars youth soccer team from the Tham Luang cave in Thailand. The real-life operation captivated the world and involved expert cave divers from across the globe.

The answer is Thailand. The real rescue took place in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai province, where 12 boys and their coach were trapped for 18 days before a multinational team of divers managed to bring them all out safely.

In Manchester by the Sea, what unexpected event forces Lee Chandler to return to his hometown and become guardian of his teenage nephew?

That’s right! Lee’s brother Joe dies suddenly from congestive heart failure, pulling Lee back to a town filled with painful memories. Casey Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the grief-stricken, emotionally closed-off Lee.

Not quite — Lee returns because his brother Joe dies of congestive heart failure. The film, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, won two Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay, and is celebrated for its unflinching portrayal of grief and guilt.

In American Fiction, what pen name does frustrated author Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison use when he writes a satirical novel pandering to racial stereotypes?

Correct! Monk writes his outrageous satirical manuscript under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, a name that itself plays on stereotypes. The film, based on Percival Everett’s novel Erasure, won Cord Jefferson the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The pen name Monk uses is Stagg R. Leigh. The choice of pseudonym is itself part of the satire — a name loaded with cultural baggage. Jeffrey Wright received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his nuanced portrayal of Monk.

In Air, the film about Nike signing Michael Jordan, which actress plays Jordan’s mother Deloris, who plays a pivotal role in negotiating his landmark deal?

That’s right! Viola Davis plays Deloris Jordan with commanding presence, portraying her as the savvy negotiator who helped secure the revolutionary contract that gave Michael unprecedented royalties. The real Deloris Jordan is widely credited with shaping the deal that changed sports marketing forever.

The correct answer is Viola Davis. She received widespread praise for capturing the intelligence and determination of Deloris Jordan, whose behind-the-scenes negotiations were instrumental in creating the Air Jordan brand that would go on to generate billions of dollars.

Challenge Complete

Your Score

/ 8

Thanks for playing!

Expect a thick atmosphere of 90s Boston authenticity, compelling power dynamics, character-driven narratives, and exceptional acting, particularly from Bacon, who gives a career-best performance. The show offers a serious, slow-burn exploration of one city’s criminal justice system while blending police corruption with family drama and social issues. Though fictionalized, it’s a fascinating look at Boston’s transition from a corrupt era to a new system and is executive produced by Affleck and Matt Damon.

2

River

A traditional “whodunit” investigation

Boasting a perfect critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, River is a six-part British police procedural and psychological crime drama about a haunted detective investigating his partner’s murder while also struggling with his mental health. Stellan Skarsgård (Good Will Hunting) and Nicola Walker (Unforgotten) star.

Detective Inspector John River (Skarsgård) is brilliant at what he does, but his fractured mind keeps him trapped between the living and the dead, haunted by “manifests,” or visions of murder victims, including his recently deceased partner, Stevie. Under enormous pressure from the media and psychiatric evaluation for his hallucinations, River works hard to navigate his guilt and, in the process, discovers the shocking truth about Stevie’s death.

Unlike typical crime shows, River focuses heavily on its protagonist’s mental states in the wake of his criminal experiences. The slow-burn, dramatic crime thriller is characterized by intense psychological scenes, a traditional “whodunit” investigation, and a masterful performance from Skarsgård. Expect a deeply human study of loss with smart writing, a genuinely creepy atmosphere, and a unique, emotional take on the police procedural drama.

1

The Shield

One of the best cop shows ever made

One of this century’s best crime dramas, The Shield is a multi-Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award winner. Michael Chiklis (The Commish), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus), Kenny Johnson (Ray), and Michael Jace (The Replacements) star alongside an enormous cast that includes Forest Whitaker, Katey Sagal, Kurt Sutter, CCH Pounder, Glenn Close, Benito Martinez, and more.

The hit FX show follows the corrupt activities of rogue cop Vic Mackey (Chiklis) in an experimental criminal division task force of the Los Angeles Police Department. He’ll go to any lengths to take down the criminals he and his team are chasing, including breaking the law and working with other criminals, and eventually he ropes his team into doing the same. Everything is set in a district rife with gang-related violence, drug trafficking, and prostitution.

Highly regarded for reinventing the police procedural and setting the standard for modern anti-hero dramas, the show paved the way for “prestige” television on basic cable with its raw, unflinching tone full of twists and thrills that explores the fine line between right and wrong. Over the course of 88 episodes, you’ll experience fast-paced action, moral ambiguity, high-stakes tension, and more riveting, gritty crime drama in one continuously solid storyline than you can stand. When viewing turns to obsession, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This one is a true gem.

Each of these hit criminal shows stands out for its realism and complexity, offering a much darker, thought-provoking take on crime storytelling that burrows into our brains and leaves us craving more. The platform has plenty of excellent crime dramas to choose from, so once you finish these three, stick around and see what else is there to transport you to the criminal underworld. Before you leave, though, be sure to check out everything coming to Prime Video in May 2026.

The Prime Video logo.

Subscription with ads

Yes, via Prime membership or $9/month

Simultaneous streams

3




Source link

New Deep#Door RAT uses stealth and persistence to target Windows

Trellix discloses the breach of a code repository

Two US cybersecurity experts sentenced in ransomware case, third awaits July ruling

Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved.