Google Gemini vs Portkey (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Portkey is our pick, scoring 7.8/10 against 7.2/10 for Google Gemini on our AI Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 5/10). For 10 users, Portkey is free, against $210/mo for Google Gemini; both Google Gemini and Portkey have a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Google Gemini
7.2/10
Google's family of generative AI models and assistants, sold to businesses through Gemini Enterprise, Workspace plans and a pay-per-token developer API.
Portkey
7.8/10
Portkey is an AI gateway and LLMOps control plane that routes, monitors, and governs requests to 1,600+ LLMs for engineering teams and enterprises.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.2/10 | 7.8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Output Quality | 8/10 | Not listed |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $21/user/mo Gemini Enterprise Business | $49/mo Production |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $210/mo Gemini Enterprise Business | Free Open Source |
| Features | ||
| AI Agents | Not listed | |
| API Access | Not listed | |
| Code Generation | Not listed | |
| Enterprise Controls | Not listed | |
| Image Generation | Not listed | |
| Knowledge Base Search | Not listed | |
| Text Generation | Not listed | |
| Video Generation | Not listed | |
| Voice and Audio | Not listed | |
| Workflow Automation | Not listed | |
| More features | ||
| API and CLI | Not listed | |
| Managed WordPress | Not listed | |
| Object Storage | Not listed | |
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
| Shared Hosting | Not listed | |
Google Gemini vs Portkey cost by team size
Portkey costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Google Gemini | Portkey |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $21/moGemini Enterprise Business | FreeOpen Source |
| 5 users | $105/moGemini Enterprise Business | FreeOpen Source |
| 10 users | $210/moGemini Enterprise Business | FreeOpen Source |
| 25 users | $525/moGemini Enterprise Business | FreeOpen Source |
| 50 users | $1,050/moGemini Enterprise Business | FreeOpen Source |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Google Gemini and Portkey suit
| Audience | Google Gemini | Portkey |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS Companies | 7/10The API lets software companies add AI to their products cheaply. | 8/10Built for teams running production GenAI features across multiple LLM providers. |
| Startups | 8/10AI Studio is free to start, and the low-cost Flash-Lite models suit building products. | 7/10A free tier and a $49 Production plan keep the entry cost low. |
| Developers | 9/10The pay-per-token Gemini API, AI Studio and the free tier target developers building on the models. | 9/10Setup takes a few lines of code with OpenAI-compatible SDKs, and there is a free tier and an open-source gateway. |
| Enterprise | 8/10The Standard and Plus editions have unlimited seats, VPC Service Controls, customer-managed encryption keys and data-residency controls. | 8/10The Enterprise plan adds SSO, RBAC, VPC deployment, and HIPAA/SOC 2 support, and the product is now part of Palo Alto Networks' Prisma AIRS. |
| Content Creators | 5/10It offers image, video and text generation. | Not rated |
| Freelancers | 6/10Workspace plans from 6.80 euros and the free API tier are affordable for individuals. | Not rated |
| IT Teams | 6/10VPC Service Controls, customer-managed encryption keys and data-residency controls support IT governance. | Not rated |
| Marketing Teams | 6/10It drafts content in Docs and Gmail and can generate images and video, but integrations outside Google are less mature. | Not rated |
| Mid-Market | 7/10The Business edition stops at 300 seats, so growing teams must move to the sales-quoted Standard or Plus editions. | Not rated |
| Remote Teams | 6/10Gemini works inside Meet, Chat and Docs for teams that collaborate through Workspace. | Not rated |
| Small Business | 7/10The self-serve Business edition is aimed at teams of up to 300 seats and needs no IT setup. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Google Gemini
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Scalability score (9/10 vs 8/10)
Why choose Portkey
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs $210/mo
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Integration score (9/10 vs 7/10)
Pros & Cons
Google Gemini
Pros
- Many API models have a free tier, and Flash-Lite models cost from $0.10 to $0.30 per million input tokens.
- It is built into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet and Drive for Workspace customers, starting with the €6.80 Starter plan.
- The Standard edition adds VPC Service Controls, customer-managed encryption keys and data-residency controls.
- The self-serve Business edition includes connectors to Microsoft 365, HubSpot and Jira as well as Google tools.
Cons
- Licensing is fragmented across Gemini Enterprise, Workspace, consumer AI plans and the API, and Plus has no public price.
- Users report unclear usage limits and silent downgrades from Pro to lighter models.
- Several API prices are scheduled to double in December 2026 and January 2027.
- Reviewers say third-party connectors to Salesforce, SAP and ServiceNow are less mature than Microsoft Copilot's.
Portkey
Pros
- Unified API covering more than 1,600 models, with automatic fallbacks, retries, and load balancing.
- Detailed logs and traces show the latency, cost, and retry path of each request.
- An open-source core and a free tier let developers try it before paying.
- Enterprise governance features include budgets, rate limits, RBAC, SSO, and audit logs, with VPC deployment available.
Cons
- Since the 2026 acquisition, paid plans route through Palo Alto Networks' Prisma AIRS, which brings uncertainty about future pricing and roadmap.
- You pay for the gateway on top of LLM provider costs, and provider billing stays separate.
- Below Enterprise, support is community-only, and the free plan keeps logs for just 3 days.
- It may be more platform than needed for small prototypes that want only a simple proxy.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Portkey scores higher on our AI Software criteria: 7.8/10 against 7.2/10 for Google Gemini. The largest gap is in Analytics: 5/10 for Google Gemini and 9/10 for Portkey.
Portkey costs less for 10 users: free on its Open Source plan, against about $210/mo on its Gemini Enterprise Business plan for Google Gemini, billed monthly.
Yes, both Google Gemini and Portkey have a free plan.
