Gemini Code Assist Review 2026: Google's AI Coding Extension

What Is Gemini Code Assist?

Gemini Code Assist is Google’s AI coding assistant, built on Gemini models and available as an extension for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs. Originally launched as Duet AI for Developers, it provides code completions, chat, and code transformations. It competes directly with GitHub Copilot and Cursor as an in-editor AI assistant, and is also available through Google AI consumer subscriptions.

What Sets It Apart

Gemini Code Assist’s strongest differentiator is deep Google Cloud integration. For teams whose infrastructure runs on Google Cloud, it assists with Cloud-specific tasks: writing Terraform for GCP resources, querying BigQuery, configuring Cloud Run services, and troubleshooting deployments. It has access to Google Cloud documentation and references your project’s configuration — an advantage that Copilot and Cursor do not offer.

The free tier includes enough daily usage for regular individual development, making it a solid option for developers who want capable AI assistance without a subscription. Enterprise plans add custom model tuning, admin controls, and compliance features for organizations that need them.

The features that set Gemini Code Assist apart are mostly GCP-specific. For teams on AWS or Azure, these advantages are irrelevant, and the core coding assistance alone may not be strong enough to justify switching from more established tools. The editor ecosystem is also narrower than Copilot’s, covering VS Code and JetBrains but not Neovim, Vim, Xcode, or Visual Studio.

Who It’s For

• Teams already using Google Cloud for infrastructure and services
• Enterprise organizations with existing Google Cloud contracts
• Individual developers who want a free AI coding assistant with solid daily limits
• Developers who need agentic multi-file editing or broader editor support may find Cursor or Copilot a better fit

Sources

• Gemini Code Assist
• Gemini Code Assist Documentation
• Gemini Code Assist Pricing