Google is expanding its lower-priced AI Plus subscription worldwide, bringing the $7.99-per-month plan to the U.S. and dozens of additional markets as it steps up direct competition with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Go. The rollout, announced Tuesday, makes AI Plus available everywhere Google’s AI services operate, following an initial launch in select international markets last year.
The AI Plus plan sits between Google’s free Gemini offering and its $20-per-month AI Pro tier. Subscribers get access to Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro models inside the Gemini app, along with AI filmmaking tools in Flow, research and writing features via NotebookLM, and 200GB of cloud storage. Google also allows users to share the subscription with up to five family members, potentially lowering the per-person cost.
The U.S. launch is particularly notable because it places Google’s offering directly against OpenAI’s ChatGPT Go, which is priced at the same $7.99 per month. Both companies are targeting users who want more capable models and features than free tiers provide, but who aren’t ready to pay $20 a month for premium plans.
Google says the global expansion includes 35 additional countries and territories, building on a rollout that began in Indonesia in September. Pricing varies by region, with significantly lower rates in markets like India, where AI Plus costs ₹399 per month (about $4.44). Google has previously said the lower pricing is intended to make advanced AI tools accessible in more price-sensitive markets.
Existing Google One Premium 2TB subscribers will automatically receive AI Plus features at no additional cost, a move that effectively converts part of Google’s cloud storage user base into paid AI users without requiring an explicit upgrade.
Google is also offering a promotion in the U.S., discounting the plan by 50% for the first two months. That brings the entry cost to roughly $8 total for an initial trial period, lowering the barrier for free users to test paid AI features.
The expansion underscores how competitive the consumer AI subscription market has become. Google now operates a three-tier model—free, $7.99 AI Plus, and $19.99 AI Pro—while OpenAI offers a similar step-up from free to ChatGPT Go and then to ChatGPT Plus. Microsoft and Anthropic, meanwhile, bundle AI features into broader software subscriptions or focus on higher-priced plans.
Whether mid-tier subscriptions gain mass adoption remains an open question. Free versions of Gemini and ChatGPT already handle many everyday tasks well. Google is betting that access to Gemini 3 Pro, creative tools, extra storage, and family sharing will be enough to justify a monthly fee for a broad audience.
For now, the expansion signals that Google sees the middle tier as a key battleground in consumer AI. By matching OpenAI’s pricing and leaning on its existing ecosystem, Google is making a clear push to capture users who want more than free AI—without committing to premium pricing.
This analysis is based on reporting from techbuzz.
Image courtesy of Google.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
