Google AI (Gemini) Setup
How to get your Google AI API key from AI Studio and configure Gemini models in LinkedGrow.
Overview
Google AI provides Gemini 3.1 Pro, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Gemini 2.5 Flash and Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite. Gemini offers some of the best value of any provider, and the Flash models are the cheapest way to run LinkedGrow.
Step 1 - Go to Google AI Studio
- Go to aistudio.google.com/apikey
- Sign in with your Google account, and any Gmail or Google Workspace account works
Step 2 - Create your API key
- Click Create API Key
- Select a Google Cloud project, or create a new one if prompted
- Your API key is generated immediately
- Copy the key, which starts with
AIza
Google AI Studio provides a free tier with limited requests. For consistent usage, set up billing in your Google Cloud Console so the free tier limits do not slow you down.
Step 3 - Configure in LinkedGrow
- Go to Settings > AI API in LinkedGrow
- Click the Gemini tab
- Paste your API key in the key field
- Select a model from the dropdown
- Click Save
Available models
| Model | Best for | Cost per post | Monthly estimate (30 posts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | Highest quality | ~$0.02 | ~$0.60 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | Strong quality at Flash speed | ~$0.017 | ~$0.51 |
| Gemini 3 Flash (Recommended) | Best value for quality | ~$0.006 | ~$0.18 |
| Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | Very cheap and still capable | ~$0.003 | ~$0.09 |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | Deep reasoning | ~$0.018 | ~$0.54 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | Fast and affordable | ~$0.005 | ~$0.15 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite | Cheapest option available | ~$0.001 | ~$0.03 |
Recommendation: Gemini 3 Flash gives you the best balance of quality and cost. At roughly $0.006 per post it is one of the cheapest ways to get good content, and Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite is cheaper still if you want to push costs to the floor.
Pricing details
Google bills by token, and 1,000 tokens covers roughly 750 words.
| Model | Input (per 1M tokens) | Output (per 1M tokens) |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | $2.00 | $12.00 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | $1.50 | $9.00 |
| Gemini 3 Flash | $0.50 | $3.00 |
| Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | $0.25 | $1.50 |
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | $1.25 | $10.00 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | $0.30 | $2.50 |
| Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite | $0.10 | $0.40 |
Google charges higher rates on the Pro models for prompts over 200,000 tokens. LinkedGrow prompts stay far below that, so the rates above are what you will actually pay.
Key format
Google AI API keys start with AIza followed by a string of characters. They look different from OpenAI or Anthropic keys.
Image generation with the same key
The same Google AI API key also works for image generation through Nano Banana Pro, Nano Banana 2, Nano Banana Lite and Nano Banana. If you set up Google AI for text, the same key covers images without creating a separate account. See Image Providers for setup details.
Monitoring your spending
Track your API usage in the Google Cloud Console under the APIs and Services section. You can set up billing alerts to monitor spending.