Google Gemini's new Code Assist tool might finally be the help I need to get coding

(Image credit: Google Cloud)

Google makes Gemini Code Assist more widely available
"Practically unlimited" usage on offer to developers everywhere
Powered by Gemini 2.0 and supporting more than 20 coding languages

Google has unveiled new plans to help users get better at coding with a major expansion of its Gemini Code Assist platform.

The move will see the Gemini 2.0-powered service available for free for developers across the world, with support for more than 20 coding languages on offer.

It will also provide the highest usage limit currently available, offering 90 times more code completions per month than other popular free coding assistants - giving wannabe coders the space and flexibility to bolster their skills.

Gemini Code Assist for all

"While well-resourced organizations are empowering their engineering teams with the latest AI capabilities, that level of tooling hasn’t always been accessible to students, hobbyists, freelancers, and startups," Ryan J. Salva, Senior Director, Product Management at Google Cloud, noted in a blog post announcing the news.

"And with a worldwide population of developers forecasted to grow to 57.8 million by 2028, we think AI should be available to them whether they can pay for it or not, so they can start building (and competing) with the standard digital tools of the future."

Noting that "now everyone can get AI-coding assistance from Gemini", the company said the service is "optimized for coding" for users around the globe.

It adds that many other popular free coding assistants are limited in their code completions (often around 2,000 per month), Gemini Code Assist will offer "practically unlimited capacity" - up to 180,000 code completions per month.

It will also offer a "generous" token context window, with up to 128,000 input token support in chat, with users able to easily offload basic reviews to an AI agent, improving quality and boosting productivity.

The launch will be accompanied by a public preview of Gemini Code Assist for Github, providing free, AI-powered code reviews for both public and private repositories, meaning that code won't just be written faster, but also better.

Gemini Code Assist will be available in Visual Studio Code, GitHub or JetBrains IDEs, and users will only need a personal Gmail account to get started, with no credit card payments needed.

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.