A side-by-side of two tools in the same category. Facts come from each vendor's own pages, checked 2026-10-28.
Google announced Antigravity CLI on 19 May 2026 as the replacement for Gemini CLI. Gemini CLI is open source under Apache-2.0. Antigravity CLI is not: its public repository has no source and no licence file.
Where they differ
Who can use it. On 18 June 2026 Gemini CLI stopped serving Google AI Pro and Ultra users and free Code Assist for individuals. Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licences and paid API keys keep it. Antigravity CLI is for everyone, and every plan includes it.
Free access. Antigravity has an Individuals plan at $0 a month with weekly rate limits, and Google publishes no CLI quota numbers. Gemini CLI has no free consumer route now.
Licence. Gemini CLI is Apache-2.0. Antigravity CLI is proprietary.
Headless mode. Both use -p. Antigravity adds stream-json input and a JSON schema option.
Parity. Google says Antigravity has no 1:1 feature parity yet. Skills, hooks, subagents and extensions carry over, and extensions become plugins.
Moving over
Run agy and follow the onboarding checklist, then agy plugin import gemini to convert extensions. Workspace skills move to .agents/skills and MCP servers to mcp_config.json, by hand.
Which fits
Pick Antigravity CLI if you used Gemini CLI on a personal Google account, or you are on a Google AI or Google Cloud plan.
Pick Gemini CLI if you hold a Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licence, or a paid API key, and need open-source code.
FreemiumThe pricing page lists an Individuals plan at $0/month with basic weekly rate limits, plus Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra with higher limits and…
FreeThe CLI is free (Apache-2.0), but the free consumer route has ended (seen 2026-10-28).
source
Proprietary
Open source
MCP
✓ yes
✓ yes
Multi-agent
✓ yes
✓ yes
Headless / CI
✓ yes
✓ yes
Sandbox
✓ yes
✓ yes
Local models
? not verified
? not verified
Your own API key
? not verified
✓ yes
Git worktrees
? not verified
✓ yes
SSH
? not verified
? not verified
Gemini CLI is stronger at
Apache-2.0 with weekly stable/preview and daily nightly releases (v0.66.0 on 2026-10-27)
Documented headless mode (-p with json and stream-json output) and MCP server configuration
Three sandbox options: macOS Seatbelt, Docker/Podman containers, and gVisor on Linux
Multiple auth routes: Google login, Gemini API key, Vertex AI
Antigravity CLI is stronger at
Free Individuals plan with weekly rate limits, and the CLI is included in every plan
Headless mode with -p, json and stream-json output, stream-json input and a --json-schema option
Subagents, hooks, skills, plugins and MCP server configuration are documented; agy plugin import gemini converts old Gemini CLI extensions
Shares its agent engine and settings with the Antigravity 2.0 desktop app, and works over SSH with a printed sign-in URL
which to pick
pick Gemini CLI if
Teams with a Gemini Code Assist licence or a paid Gemini/Vertex API key who want an open-source CLI agent.
pick Antigravity CLI if
Individuals and teams already on Google AI plans or Google Cloud who want Google's current terminal agent, especially former Gemini CLI users.
skip Gemini CLI if
Individuals looking for a free tier or the newest Gemini models; Google steers them to Antigravity CLI.
skip Antigravity CLI if
Anyone who needs open-source code, a bring-your-own-key route, or local models; none are documented.