Claude Code vs Gemini CLI

Side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, pros and cons

Paid

4.2

Anthropic's terminal-based autonomous coding agent powered by Claude Opus 4.6 with 1M token context. Runs 30-hour autonomous tasks with access to your filesystem, shell, and test runners. Native IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains allow inline use alongside Cursor-style editing. Scores 74.4%–80.9% on SWE-bench Verified.

Category:AI Coding

Features

Powered by Claude Opus 4.6 with 1M token context window
Autonomous 30-hour task execution with filesystem, shell, and test access
SWE-bench Verified score: 74.4%–80.9% (leading among terminal agents)
VS Code and JetBrains IDE extensions for inline use
CLAUDE.md project configuration for persistent behavior rules
+5 more

Pros

Highest SWE-bench score among deployed terminal agents at 80.9% on the Verified benchmark
1M context allows loading an entire monorepo without chunking or losing cross-file coherence
Plan mode shows the full task breakdown before any code runs — essential for high-stakes refactors
Headless mode enables fully automated CI pipelines that can fix failing tests without human intervention

Cons

Cost scales with context usage — heavy 1M context tasks can cost $50–200 per autonomous session via API
Terminal-only workflow requires comfort with CLI; no GUI for reviewing diffs before execution in default mode
IDE extensions are newer than Cursor and lack some Cursor-specific features like Notepads
Rate limits on subscriptions constrain long autonomous sessions; API pricing is the practical path for heavy use
Security vulnerabilities found in versions prior to v1.0.20 — ensure you're running the current version

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Gemini CLI

Free

4.1

Command-line interface for Gemini with dramatically better free limits than the API: 60 RPM and 1,000 requests/day with Gemini 3 support.

Features

60 requests/minute (12x better than API)
1,000 requests/day
1 million token context window
Gemini 3 Pro and Flash access
OAuth authentication - no API key needed
+1 more

Pros

Best free limits available - 60 RPM
12x better than standard API limits
No API key or billing setup required
Gemini 3 access included
1M token context window

Cons

CLI only - no GUI
Requires npm installation
OAuth required for authentication
Daily limits on Gemini 3 Pro not published

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Tool	Claude CodeView details →	Gemini CLIView details →
Pricing	Paid	Free
Rating	4.2	4.1
Category	AI Coding	—
Description	Anthropic's terminal-based autonomous coding agent powered by Claude Opus 4.6 with 1M token context. Runs 30-hour autonomous tasks with access to your filesystem, shell, and test runners. Native IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains allow inline use alongside Cursor-style editing. Scores 74.4%–80.9% on SWE-bench Verified.	Command-line interface for Gemini with dramatically better free limits than the API: 60 RPM and 1,000 requests/day with Gemini 3 support.
Features
Powered by Claude Opus 4.6 with 1M token context window
Autonomous 30-hour task execution with filesystem, shell, and test access
SWE-bench Verified score: 74.4%–80.9% (leading among terminal agents)
VS Code and JetBrains IDE extensions for inline use
CLAUDE.md project configuration for persistent behavior rules
MCP (Model Context Protocol) for custom tool integrations
Git integration: reads history, diffs, and commits on your behalf
Headless mode for CI/CD pipeline integration
Plan mode for architectural review before code execution
Three operating modes: Default, Auto, and Plan
60 requests/minute (12x better than API)
1,000 requests/day
1 million token context window
Gemini 3 Pro and Flash access
OAuth authentication - no API key needed
Interactive chat mode
Pros
	Highest SWE-bench score among deployed terminal agents at 80.9% on the Verified benchmark 1M context allows loading an entire monorepo without chunking or losing cross-file coherence Plan mode shows the full task breakdown before any code runs — essential for high-stakes refactors Headless mode enables fully automated CI pipelines that can fix failing tests without human intervention	Best free limits available - 60 RPM 12x better than standard API limits No API key or billing setup required Gemini 3 access included 1M token context window
Cons
	Cost scales with context usage — heavy 1M context tasks can cost $50–200 per autonomous session via API Terminal-only workflow requires comfort with CLI; no GUI for reviewing diffs before execution in default mode IDE extensions are newer than Cursor and lack some Cursor-specific features like Notepads Rate limits on subscriptions constrain long autonomous sessions; API pricing is the practical path for heavy use Security vulnerabilities found in versions prior to v1.0.20 — ensure you're running the current version	CLI only - no GUI Requires npm installation OAuth required for authentication Daily limits on Gemini 3 Pro not published
Website	Visit	Visit