Google made Gemini 4 Carbon generally available after a two-week test with selected security experts, The Decoder reported on 10 November. Paying developers and business customers can use it through the Gemini API, Android Studio or Gemini for Business. Google says it complements Gemini 4 Argon rather than replacing it.
Artificial Analysis priced Carbon at $7.76 per solved task, using the standard rate of $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens. That is below Flash 3.8, Opus 5.5 Max ($10.04) and Fable 5.2 at its High tier (about $9). The Decoder infers Carbon's bill will likely top Argon's, since it uses more tokens to reason and check its work. No Argon-versus-Carbon cost figure was published. Google's introductory price is $2 and $10.
Both models share a token price, so cost per solved task is the number to compare. Longer reasoning and checking loops add output tokens, and those carry the higher charge. Ask the vendor how many tokens Carbon uses per task against Argon, what you pay once the introductory price ends, and which version you get: Google's security benchmark leads apply only to the Fairwind Program version.