TRANSPARENCY INDEX · FROZEN 2026-08-27
Right of reply
Contacted 2026-08-31 via [email protected] from a personal Gmail address on 2026-08-31 (three deliveries from our own domain on 2026-08-28 bounced; Google Cloud billing support case 74848114 opened the same day was closed as out of scope). No reply within the 14-day window (closed 2026-09-14).
[email protected] returned only its automatic acknowledgement. Cloud Billing Support had closed case 74848114 as out of scope: no channel to forward external assessments to press or documentation teams, pointing us back to the press address that had bounced.
Methodology and the 14-day process: the frozen RFC.
PRICING CLARITY
List prices per 1M tokens (input/output) published on an official page without login.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricingCaptured 2026-08-28
Price unit is unambiguous (per 1M tokens; input vs output separated).
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricingCaptured 2026-08-28
Page states an effective/updated date (attributable to a snapshot).
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricingCaptured 2026-08-28
Cached/batch/discount tiers (where offered) published officially.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricingCaptured 2026-08-28
Promotional pricing labeled as promotional (with end date if time-limited).
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/changelogCaptured 2026-08-28
BILLING PREDICTABILITY
How usage is metered is documented (tokenizer, counting rules, rounding).
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/tokensCaptured 2026-08-28
Cached/prefix behavior is documented (automatic vs opt-in).
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/cachingCaptured 2026-08-28
A tool/formula to estimate request cost before sending is published.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/tokensCaptured 2026-08-28
Known billing surprises (TTLs, write premiums, minimums) disclosed in docs.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billingCaptured 2026-08-28
Historical prices are discoverable or retrievable on request.
We found no public historical price record for the Gemini Developer API - your changelog states that prices changed without stating the prior figures, and the billing catalogue offers no historical query. We recorded NOT VERIFIABLE rather than NOT MET because we cannot disprove that historical rates are retrievable on request.
Captured 2026-08-28 · re-verified against the live page 2026-09-13
SPEND OBSERVABILITY
Usage available per model in console/API (not only aggregated).
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billingCaptured 2026-08-28
Token counts (input/output) reported alongside spend.
https://cloud.google.com/skus?filter=Gemini%20APICaptured 2026-08-28
Per-request or per-API-key breakdown available.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/tokensCaptured 2026-08-28
Usage/cost export exists (CSV/API) without premium tier.
https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/cost-tableCaptured 2026-08-28
Near-real-time spend tracking (sub-hour refresh) exists.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/billingCaptured 2026-08-28
BILLING / INVOICE QUALITY
Invoices line-item by service/model.
https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/cost-tableYour own documentation states that beginning with the January 2021 invoice, all cost details including product-level costs were removed from invoices and statements in both PDF and CSV format, and replaced by a link to the Cost table report.
Captured 2026-08-28 · re-verified against the live page 2026-09-13
Invoice shows unit quantities and rates, not only totals.
https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/read-invoiceTwo separate statements in your documentation: the detailed usage cost line items were removed from invoices in 2021, and invoice usage details do not include a column for the SKU price. Rates are obtainable from the Pricing table report, but not from the invoice itself.
Captured 2026-08-28 · re-verified against the live page 2026-09-13
Usage CSV/API and invoice are reconcilable without manual mapping.
https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/cost-tableCaptured 2026-08-28
Invoice/notification includes readable date range and currency.
https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/cost-tableCaptured 2026-08-28
Billing docs/invoices available via API for automation.
https://docs.cloud.google.com/billing/docs/how-to/get-invoiceA distinction we think is worth preserving: your billing DATA is fully automatable through the BigQuery export, which is why C4 is MET. This criterion is about billing DOCUMENTS, and your own guide to obtaining an invoice lists only console routes.
Captured 2026-08-28 · re-verified against the live page 2026-09-13
DISCLOSURE
Data-use-for-training policy is clearly published.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/termsCaptured 2026-08-28
Energy/environmental information is clearly published (yes/no — never a grade).
https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/infrastructure/measuring-the-environmental-impact-of-ai-inferenceCaptured 2026-08-28
Pricing/support changes are communicated before taking effect.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/termsCaptured 2026-08-28
Terms specify billing, refund and cancellation terms unambiguously.
https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/termsBilling is addressed in your terms, but we found no standalone fees, refund, termination or cancellation section - payment terms defer to the Google Cloud Terms, and the concrete refund rules sit in documentation rather than the contract. We recorded NOT VERIFIABLE rather than NOT MET because the material is not absent, but spread across documents of differing legal weight, which is what prevents us calling it unambiguous.
Captured 2026-08-28 · re-verified against the live page 2026-09-13