How much to charge for freelance social media
Learn how to set winning rates for social media management. Our 2025 guide covers pricing packages, retainers, and strategy to maximise your freelance income.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is now a vital tool for many businesses across the UK, and Google's AI tools are among the most flexible options out there. But with different models available, it's not always easy to determine which Google AI pricing plan is the best fit for your business.
If you're paying for the tool in a foreign currency, it's also important to avoid paying more than necessary. With the Wise Business multi-currency card, you can save on conversion fees and pay your AI subscriptions at the mid-market rate.
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Google's AI tools work on a pay-as-you-go basis¹, so you're only charged for what you actually use. There are no long-term licences or fixed commitments. AI Studio is free to use with pretty generous limits. On the other hand, if you need more power, tools like the Gemini API and Vertex AI charge based on usage – things like tokens or computing time. For even more advanced features, Google also offers optional subscriptions² like AI Pro and Ultra, which give you access to things like Gemini 2.5 and video generation tools.
Plan / Tool | Pricing | Annual |
---|---|---|
Google AI Studio | Free (with usage limits) | – |
Vertex AI (Generative AI) | Usage-based | Usage-based |
Google AI Pro | £18.99/mo (£0 first month) | £208.89 |
Google AI Ultra | £234.99/mo (£119.99/mo first three months) | £2,237.90 |
Google AI Studio is completely free to use³, which makes it a great starting point for businesses exploring AI. There's no subscription, no monthly fee, and no hidden costs. You can test out Gemini models, write and tweak prompts, and even upload images.⁴
Google AI Studio packs a lot into a free tool. It's built for speed and simplicity, so you can start experimenting with AI in minutes⁴, without any setup headaches or technical barriers. Here's what you get:
For small businesses or teams that need some AI support without costs, Google AI Studio can be the right starting point. It's especially useful for marketers, developers, and analysts who want to test ideas, write prompts, or build small tools before scaling up. There's no risk, no cost, and no commitment. And when you're ready for something bigger, you can easily switch to Google Cloud and keep building without starting from scratch.
Vertex AI uses a pay-as-you-go approach, and you only pay for the compute and model calls you actually use. For generative AI (Gemini 2.5)⁵, costs are based on token count, including input, output, and optional grounding prompts. For example, input costs $1.25 per 1M tokens (up to 200K, and $2.50 above), and output $10 per 1M tokens (up to 200K, and $15 above). For Gemini 2.5 Flash, input costs $0.30 / 1M tokens, and output $2.50 / 1M tokens.
You can also choose provisioned throughput and commit to fixed capacity for steady workloads. Grounding (fetching web results) is included up to a daily limit, where any extra requests cost US$35 / 1K prompts.
Vertex AI is Google's full-scale machine learning and AI platform⁶, and as such, it's built for businesses that are ready to move beyond testing and start using AI in a more serious, production-level way. It's powerful, flexible, and made to grow with your business. Here's a look at what it offers:
Vertex AI is a good match if your business needs powerful AI-powered features. In essence, it provides you with customer chatbots, dynamic content generation, and image processing. It gives you flexibility to start small and grow, while only paying for what you use. For UK SMEs, it's a powerful option once you need reliability, scale, and deeper integration than what AI Studio offers.
This plan currently costs US £18.99/month and includes a 2 TB Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos storage bundle. You also get access to Gemini 2.5 Pro and tools like video generation and Deep Research.
Google AI Pro brings together advanced Gemini access, helpful productivity upgrades, and generous storage, all bundled into a single subscription. It's especially handy if your team already uses Google Workspace and wants to boost efficiency with smarter tools built in. Here's what you get with Google AI Pro⁷:
If your UK business is ready to embrace AI beyond the essentials, such as video generation, running research workflows, or boosting productivity in Workspace, AI Pro is really a great value. At just under £19/month, you get powerful tools, storage, and easy integration with tools your team probably already uses.
If you want to get to Google's top-tier AI tools, Google AI Ultra is the right choice. Priced at £234.99 / month, with a promotional offer of £119.99 / month for the first three months, you get all you could need. However, this is a serious investment created for those who require only the best tools available⁸. This includes deepest reasoning, cinematic video creation, agentic tools – a package for power users.
Google AI Ultra brings together an impressive toolkit for advanced creators, researchers, and developers. Starting from the full set of AI Pro features, Ultra adds top-tier bonuses and exclusive extras⁷:
Vertex AI offers several optional services beyond basic generative AI usage⁹, and its add-ons have flexible, usage-based pricing. This includes valuable things like monitoring, pipelines, feature storage, and search services, which give you more control and are priced based on actual usage rather than fixed tiers.
Google Cloud lists prices for Vertex AI and other tools in US dollars, while Google AI Pro and Ultra are available in GBP. However, when you're based in the UK, your charges may still appear in USD, and your card or bank will handle the exchange using the current rate plus a small markup.
This is where the Wise Business multi-currency card really shines. You can hold USD and 40+ currencies in your Wise Business account and spend directly, avoiding unnecessary conversion fees. Wise uses the mid-market rate, which can immensely help your business save every time you pay for Google's AI services in dollars.
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When your business is based in the UK but uses Google AI, there are some easy ways to avoid overspending. Start by picking the right plan for your actual needs. For example, Google AI Studio is free for light users, while Vertex AI and AI Pro/Ultra are better for those running advanced workloads. You shouldn't simply jump to the most expensive option "just in case."
Next, audit your usage regularly. Ask your team: are we really using features like provisioned throughput, video generation with Veo, or custom model tuning in Vertex AI? These are powerful tools, but they come at a cost – and not everyone needs them.
Finally, if you're paying in USD (which you likely are), don't let foreign transaction fees quietly drain your profits. Instead, use the Wise Business multi-currency card to pay your Google AI bills. You'll always get the mid-market exchange rate* with low, transparent fees and no surprises at the end of the month.
Google AI offers competitive pricing, especially with its free AI Studio and usage-based Vertex AI. In comparison, OpenAI charges £20/month for ChatGPT Plus, and API usage fees vary depending on model and token volume. Vertex AI's Gemini 2.5 Pro is generally cheaper than GPT-4 Turbo for similar tasks¹⁰, especially if you don't need OpenAI's ecosystem.
Google AI Studio is free to use, and most tools offer generous free tiers, especially for developers. If you upgrade to Vertex AI or Gemini Pro, there's a free trial with credits included.
Not exactly, but Google AI is built into apps you already use, like Gmail, Docs, and Google Chrome. You can also access Gemini directly from your browser or mobile.
Google AI has an API through Google Cloud's Vertex AI. You can access Gemini models via API, with options for chat, multimodal input, and model tuning. If you're interested in Google Bard AI API pricing, keep in mind that Bard and Duet AI were merged under the Gemini brand at the beginning of 2024.
There are no setup or onboarding fees. You only pay for what you use, and there's plenty of free usage to get started.
Google's AI tools offer something for everyone, from small teams experimenting with Gemini to enterprise setups running on Vertex AI. In essence, this platform offers a plan for anyone – you'll likely find one that fits your goals (and budget) with ease.
And if you're paying in a different currency, don't let hidden fees chip away at your savings. With a Wise Business account, you can pay for your Google AI tools at the mid-market exchange rate* without any markups. You can also use the Wise currency converter to check the exchange rate of any currency, helping you make every pound go further.
Sources used in this article:
Sources last checked 27/08/2025
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
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