Gemini 4 Argon Explained: Availability, Price and Specs
In short: Gemini 4 Argon is Google's frontier AI model, announced on 30 September 2026 and generally available since 13 October 2026. Developers can use it through the Gemini API at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens until 30 November 2026, then $4 and $20. Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can use it in the Gemini app. It reads up to about 1 million tokens at once and can write up to about 1 million tokens in one reply.
What is Gemini 4 Argon?
Gemini 4 Argon is the first model in Google's Gemini 4 family, built for long, complex tasks. Google's model documentation calls it its flagship reasoning model, for complex software engineering, deep mathematical and scientific problems, autonomous multi-step agents, and very long generation.
"Long-horizon" work - Google's term - means tasks that take many steps: migrating a large codebase, researching and drafting a legal document, or finding and patching security flaws, rather than answering one question.
If you have used Gemini before: Gemini is Google's family of AI models and also the name of its chatbot app. Argon is one model in that family; earlier ones include Gemini 3.8 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Pro.
When was Gemini 4 Argon released, and is it available?
Yes - Gemini 4 Argon has been generally available since 13 October 2026. It went through two stages:
- 30 September 2026 - announced. Google introduced Gemini 4 Argon and began rolling it out only to trusted cyber defenders through its Fairwind Program.
- 13 October 2026 - generally available. Google's API changelog lists Argon as generally available, and Google's post "Gemini 4 Argon is now available for everyone" describes where it can be used.
Where can you use Gemini 4 Argon?
According to Google's 13 October post, Argon is available:
- For developers and businesses - through the Gemini API in Google AI Studio and the Gemini platform.
- For Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers - in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Google Search.
- For Google AI Ultra subscribers - also in Google Antigravity.
It is not on the free tier of the Gemini API.
How much does Gemini 4 Argon cost?
Through the Gemini API it costs $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens until 30 November 2026, then $4 and $20 from 1 December 2026, according to Google's pricing page. A token is a small chunk of text, about three-quarters of an English word.
| Pricing option | Until 30 Nov 2026 (input / output per 1M tokens) | From 1 Dec 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $2 / $10 | $4 / $20 |
| Batch | $1 / $5 | $2 / $10 |
| Flex | $1 / $5 | $2 / $10 |
| Priority | $3.60 / $18 | $7.20 / $36 |
| Context caching (cached input) | $0.10 | $0.20 |
Output prices include "thinking" tokens - the reasoning the model does before it answers. Batch is cheaper for work that can wait; Priority costs more for faster, more reliable service.
Worked example. At the standard rate before 1 December, a request with 50,000 tokens of input (about 37,500 words) and a 5,000-token answer costs 50,000 × $2 ÷ 1,000,000 = $0.10, plus 5,000 × $10 ÷ 1,000,000 = $0.05: $0.15 in total.
What are Gemini 4 Argon's specs?
From Google's model page:
- Context window: 1,048,576 tokens, shared by input and output - about 780,000 words of English.
- Maximum output: 65,536 tokens by default, or up to 1,048,576 with "long decode", which lets it write very long outputs in one go.
- Inputs: text, images, video, audio and PDFs. Output: text.
- Thinking: adjustable reasoning levels - low, medium and high.
- Tools: Google Search grounding, code execution, function calling, URL context and structured outputs; computer use is in preview.
- Caching: implicit caching only - explicit caching is not supported.
Google does not publish Argon's parameter count.
How good is Gemini 4 Argon?
On LMArena's text leaderboard, which ranks models by blind human votes between two answers, Gemini 4 Argon has 1524 Elo (rank 1, high effort). The live ranking is on our benchmarks table.
Google states that Argon ranks first on the Vals Index, which measures performance on finance, coding, legal and tax work. That is Google's own claim about an outside benchmark.
What is the Fairwind Program?
The Fairwind Program is Google's access programme for cybersecurity defenders. It was the only way to use Argon before general availability. In its 13 October post Google says it is expanding the programme to hundreds of additional partners, and that cyber defenders can apply to use Argon without its cyber guardrails, on a rolling basis subject to eligibility.
Gemini 4 Argon compared with other top models
| Model | Input / output price (per 1M tokens) | Context window | LMArena text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 4 Argon (Google) | $2 / $10 | 1.05M | 1524 Elo (rank 1, high effort) |
| Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic) | $4 / $20 | 1M | 1508 Elo (rank 3, high effort) |
| GPT-6.1 Sol (OpenAI) | $2 / $10 | 1.05M | 1484 Elo (rank 22, max effort) |
| Muse Wonder (Meta) | $4 / $20 | 1M | 1509 Elo (rank 2, max effort) |
Figures update from our model database. Compare any two side by side.
Related
- Gemini 4 Argon model page - live specs and rankings
- Gemini 3.8 Live explained
- How to compare AI models
- How LLMs work: a beginner's guide
Frequently asked questions
What is Gemini 4 Argon?+
Gemini 4 Argon is Google's frontier AI model and the first in its Gemini 4 family, built for long, multi-step work such as complex software engineering, maths and science problems, autonomous agents, and very long outputs.
When is Gemini 4 Argon available?+
It is available now. Google announced Gemini 4 Argon on 30 September 2026 for cyber defenders only, and made it generally available on 13 October 2026 through the Gemini API, and for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the Gemini app.
How much does Gemini 4 Argon cost?+
Through the Gemini API, Gemini 4 Argon costs $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens until 30 November 2026, then $4 and $20 from 1 December 2026. Batch and Flex processing cost half the standard rate.
Is Gemini 4 Argon free?+
Not through the API: Google's pricing page says Gemini 4 Argon is not available on the free tier. In the Gemini app it is available to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
What is Gemini 4 Argon's context window?+
1,048,576 tokens, shared between input and output. By default it returns up to 65,536 tokens, or up to 1,048,576 tokens with long decode.
Can I use Gemini 4 Argon in the Gemini app?+
Yes, if you subscribe to Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra. Google says it is available to those subscribers in the Gemini app and in AI Mode in Search.
What is the Fairwind Program?+
Google's access programme for cybersecurity defenders. It was the first way to use Gemini 4 Argon, and Google says defenders can apply to use Argon without its cyber guardrails, subject to eligibility.
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