Start here: sign in and run your first real task
Goal. Open Gemini with your Google account, understand what the free tier actually gives you, and hand it a real research task instead of a toy question.
I'm a biologist preparing a journal club. In plain language, explain the mechanism of CRISPR base editing vs. prime editing, then give me three discussion questions a non-specialist audience could engage with.
Just type it into the prompt bar at gemini.google.com — no setup, no API key. Gemini answers in whatever language you write in.
- 1Open gemini.google.com and sign in with any Google account. The free plan gives you the 3.5 Flash model plus limited access to the more capable 3.1 Pro — and, importantly, free access to Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems, and image generation.
- 2Type a real task, not a quiz. Paste the prompt above (or your own). Gemini answers directly in the conversation — keep the thread open and ask follow-ups; it remembers the context of this chat.
- 3Trick: switch models for hard reasoning. Use the model selector at the top to pick 3.1 Pro when a task needs deeper reasoning (multi-step logic, dense papers); leave it on 3.5 Flash for fast everyday drafting. Free-tier access to 3.1 Pro is capped, so save it for the work that needs it.
You'll see. A structured, plain-language answer plus three usable discussion questions — produced from one sentence, with no copy-pasting of source material.
Cost. Free. The Gemini free tier includes 3.5 Flash, limited 3.1 Pro, and the major features (Deep Research, Live, Canvas, Gems). Paid Google AI plans raise usage limits and unlock the newest models — covered in later lessons.
Takeaway. Gemini's free tier is genuinely capable. Give it a whole task in plain language, and reach for 3.1 Pro only when the reasoning is hard.