User review: Google AI Pro subscription fails to justify cost for general consumers

It's been over a year since I bought the Google Pixel 10 Pro, so it's been a year since I got 12 months of free access to Google's AI Pro subscription plan.

The AI Pro plan is an AI-lover's dream. It comes with increased Gemini limits and Google's latest AI tools. That includes NotebookLM, better models, Gemini in G Suite, and more.

I found it underwhelming a month into my free trial, and more time with it has not changed my mind. Google AI Pro isn't worth it for most people, and it feels like a doomed product.

The benefits of AI Pro just aren't there

I was right

In October of last year, I sat there, scratching my head, trying to figure out the appeal of Google AI Pro.

At the time, I used Gemini a bit. I wasn't an AI Luddite, but I wasn't a true believer either. Since then, I've used Gemini more. I used it to help me get back into Warhammer, and then discovered it had been lying to me. I invited it into my health data with the Fitbit Air. I use it regularly to start my research into new subjects.

I use Gemini more than I did a year ago. But I still don't get why I need to pay for more.

The AI Pro plan gave me five times more usage than free users. Despite my initial worries about that, I never got near the limit. Even now, after losing the higher limits, I still don't. I don't need more AI.

Gemini Notebook (previously known as NotebookLM) is as big a mystery today as it was then. I get the idea, but I don't understand why a regular person would need it. I can see you might use it at work. But then I'd expect an employer to pay for it instead of me.

Image and code generation are cool, from a technical point of view, but neither is important in my life. If I were a developer, sure, but again, I'd expect my employer to pay for tools like that.

I'm open and receptive to AI to improve my life, but nothing Google AI Pro offers will do that.

The best bits didn't involve AI

But it's only best for Google die-hards

That's not to say it was a complete bust. Some parts of it were good. But those bits didn't really involve AI.

Google AI Pro comes with 5TB of Google Drive storage, which I appreciated. I didn't need it, and won't be paying for a similar tier, but it was nice to have for a time.

AI Pro also comes with three subscriptions to Google services: YouTube Premium Lite, Google Health Premium, and Google Home Premium Standard.

On the face of it, this isn't a bad deal. YouTube Premium Lite is rubbish, but Health Premium and Home Premium Standard are solid services, and together their costs are almost equal to the AI Pro plan.

If you use those two services and would also like 5TB of cloud storage, Google AI Pro isn't a bad deal.

But the problem is, you have to use those services. And I have to wonder how many people are.

The Fitbit Air is popular, so Health Premium has a decent shot of being in. But Home Premium Standard for your Google Home devices? Given how badly Google has treated smart speakers in the last few years, I wouldn't be surprised if most people hadn't already migrated away from it. I know I'm not buying another Google smart speaker when mine eventually cark it.

These aspects are the best part of Google AI Pro. But they're only good for people who bought into the Google ecosystem. It'll do little to bring in new people if they're not already dedicated.

And that's a problem, because Google needs people to pay for AI.

Google Gemini is getting better, but it's still not worth paying for

Which means the future will see price rises and limitations

I'm using AI more than ever, and I'm sure most people are too. But I'm less sure about how many of them are paying for it.

AI is expensive, and Google can't keep bankrolling Gemini forever. At some point, Gemini will have to pay for itself, and that means more people will have to pay for it. If we don't, Google will likely increase prices or slap more limitations on free users.

I don't want to see that happen, because Gemini's free tier is solid. But from Google's point of view, the free tier can't be so good that people don't upgrade. So things will have to change.

Gemini has a lifeline

The Plus plan might be a winner

Thankfully for Gemini, there might be a good middle ground for most people.

Google AI Plus doesn't have access to coding, or the latest Gemini models, or a bunch of what makes AI Pro expensive.

But do you know what it does have? 400GB of cloud storage and a $ 5-a-month price tag. I can get on board with those.

Don't get me wrong. I still don't need Gemini Notebook or the boosted usage limits. But I do like more cloud storage. And at $5, I'm less likely to sweat about the price.

If Google is desperate to get people into the AI plans, AI Plus may be the best option for most people.