AI has becoming increasingly important to the software development landscape and Google’s latest DORA research highlights this shift, revealing that more than 75% of developers rely on AI daily. With AI-generated code accounting for over 25% of all new code contributions at Google, it's evident that the powerful synergy is transforming coding workflows, making development more efficient and accessible.
However, cutting-edge AI tools have historically been out of reach for many — from hobbyists to developers — who lack the resources of large organizations. For example, OpenAI’s ChatGPT Pro is $200 per month, a hefty price tag for the average individual looking for AI-powered assistance. With the global developer population expected to surge to 57.8 million by 2028, Google hopes to make AI accessible to all, regardless of their financial means.
To help bridge this gap, Google has just launched Gemini Code Assist, an AI-powered coding tool free for everyone and designed to support all developers.
What is Gemini Code Assist?
Gemini Code Assist is an AI coding assistant, optimized specifically for development tasks and powered by Gemini 2.0. It supports all programming languages in the public domain and has been fine-tuned using real-world coding scenarios, ensuring that Gemini Code Assist consistently delivers relevant, high-quality recommendations to developers — whether they're hobbyists, students, or startup engineers.
Unlike other free coding assistants that impose strict limits (e.g., 2,000 code completions per month), Gemini Code Assist offers up to 180,000 code completions per month, a 90x increase over competing tools. Even the most dedicated developers will find it difficult to hit the limit.
However, AI isn’t just about writing code — it’s also about improving it. Code review is a critical, yet time-consuming, aspect of software development. To help streamline this process, Google is also introducing the public preview of Gemini Code Assist for GitHub, which provides free AI-powered code reviews for public and private repositories.
How to use Gemini Code Assist
Developers spend most of their time in Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). Now, Google has integrated Gemini Code Assist seamlessly into the tools they already use including Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, Firebase (already free), Android Studio (already free) and GitHub (via a dedicated app for AI-powered code reviews)
With these integrations, developers no longer need to switch between tools, copy and paste code, or scour the web for solutions. Everything they need is available directly within their IDE.
Try it today for free
With up to 180,000 completions per month, Gemini Code Assist for GitHub lets developers of all levels write, modify, and review code faster than ever. By leveraging AI-powered coding support, developers can generate, explain, and refine code using plain English prompts (or other languages) without switching windows. With 128,000 input tokens in chat, Gemini enables users to analyze and improve large codebases efficiently. Automated, customizable code reviews help maintain quality and best practices, while teams can enforce their own standards by creating files in repositories, ensuring consistency and maintainability across projects.
Regardless of your coding ability, you can get started today for free. Simply install Gemini Code Assist in Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, or GitHub (for AI-powered code reviews).
For those looking for advanced features — including productivity metrics, AI customization for private code repositories, and integration with Google Cloud services — Gemini Code Assist Standard and Enterprise are also available.
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