clixadA Gemini CLI alternative with Claude, GPT and Gemini on one balance
Gemini CLI's free tier is one of the most generous there is, and it runs Google's models. Clixad is the alternative when you want Claude, GPT, DeepSeek or Kimi models in the same terminal agent, without an API key or a subscription. Five of its models are free every day, two of them Google's.
- No API key
- No monthly subscription
- Free models every day
npm install -g clixad
Node 20 or newer. Then clixad login signs you in with GitHub, and clixad in a project opens the agent.
Gemini CLI and Clixad, side by side
Google's side comes from the Gemini CLI quota page, its README and its service update of March 2026, read on 29 September 2026.
| Gemini CLI, free tier | Clixad | |
|---|---|---|
| With a personal account | "1000 model requests / user / day" and "60 model requests / user / minute" | 24,000 credits of usage a day on five models, and 25,000 credits on signup |
| With an unpaid API key | "250 model requests / user / day", "Model requests to Flash model only" | No key at all |
| Models on the free tier | Gemini Flash models only, since 25 March 2026 | GPT-5 Nano, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Kimi K2.5 |
| Other vendors | Google's models | Claude, GPT, DeepSeek and Kimi models on the same balance |
| Unit | Model requests | Credits metered on tokens |
| Reset time | Not stated on the quota page | 00:00 UTC |
| Account | GitHub | |
| Source code | Open source under Apache-2.0 | Not open source |
| Advertising | None | A marked ad line while a model call runs, off with CLIXAD_SPONSOR=0 |
When Gemini CLI is the better choice
If Google's Flash models do your work. A thousand model requests a day is more than our free allowance buys on comparable models: 24,000 credits is about 61 turns a day on Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and 16 on Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite. If Flash is enough, use Gemini CLI's free tier. What those 1,000 requests buy works through the numbers.
If you want Gemini Pro. It is not in our catalogue. Our Gemini models are 2.5 Flash-Lite, 3.5 Flash-Lite and 3.8 Flash.
If you want the source, or no advertising. Gemini CLI is open source under Apache-2.0 and
shows no ads. Clixad is not open source, and it can show a line marked Ad while a model call
runs. Nothing you type takes part in choosing it, and CLIXAD_SPONSOR=0 switches it off.
Google's models on Clixad
| Model | Credits per turn | Free turns a day |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | 390 | 61 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | 1,463 | 16 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | 3,094 | not a free model |
The free turns are one pool shared by all five free models, and they sit inside a daily budget shared by everybody, so on a busy day they can end sooner. After that each turn costs the credits shown, paid from credits you earn by completing an offer in a browser tab, credited on completion, or buy. A screenout, where a survey ends part way with nothing or a small bonus, is the most common outcome of starting a survey.
Why switch anyway
More than one vendor. Claude Sonnet 5.5 and GPT-6 Sol each cost 8,250 credits a turn, from
the same balance your Gemini turns come from. Trying a second model on a problem the first one fumbled is one
/model away.
A price you can read. Google's quota page says requests "will be made across the Gemini model
family as determined by Gemini CLI", and names no reset time. Clixad shows every model's price before you pick
it, and the free rows in /model say how many turns they have left.
No Google account. Clixad signs in with GitHub.
FAQ
What is a free alternative to Gemini CLI?
Clixad is a terminal coding agent with 13 models from five vendors on one balance. Five are free up to 24,000 credits of usage a day, two of them Google's Flash-Lite models, and the rest run on credits. It needs a GitHub account, no API key and no subscription.
How much does the Gemini CLI free tier include?
Google's quota page lists 1000 model requests per user per day and 60 per minute with a personal Google account, and 250 a day on Flash only with an unpaid Gemini API key. Since 25 March 2026 the free tier is limited to Gemini Flash models.
Does Clixad have Gemini Pro?
No. The Gemini models in the catalogue are Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, which are free, and Gemini 3.8 Flash, which costs 3,094 credits a turn.
Is Gemini CLI's free tier bigger than Clixad's?
On Flash-class models, yes. A thousand requests a day is more work than 24,000 credits buys on comparable models. What Clixad adds is the other vendors on the same balance.
Read next
Sources
- Google, Gemini CLI: Quotas and pricing, for "1000 model requests / user / day", "60 model requests / user / minute", "Model requests will be made across the Gemini model family as determined by Gemini CLI", "250 model requests / user / day" and "Model requests to Flash model only". The page states no reset time. Read 29 September 2026.
- Google, Service update, discussion #22970, for "Starting March 25, 2026, Gemini Pro models will only be accessible via paid subscriptions. Free tier users will be limited to Gemini Flash models." Read 29 September 2026.
- Google, google-gemini/gemini-cli, for the Apache-2.0 licence. Read 29 September 2026.
- Every Clixad figure:
packages/pricing(creditsForUsage,signupBonusCredits,freeTierDailyCreditsPerUser,FREE_MODEL_IDS,maxAdRewardUsdPerDay,CREDIT_PACKS), over the model catalogue read from OpenRouter on 27 September 2026, recomputed by the test beside this page. A turn is 20,000 input and 1,500 output tokens,FREE_TURN_USAGE, the size the/modelpicker estimates with.