Sign In
Sign In

NVMe vs SSD Storage

NVMe vs SSD Storage
Bhuban Mishra
Technical writer
Infrastructure

Fast data retrieval is a need for the 21st century. The data transmission rate can greatly impact application response time, especially when it involves gaming, video editing, website hosting, AI, and machine learning. 

SDDs evolved to overcome the shortcomings of hard drives. SSDs, in contrast to HDDs, utilize flash memory, which translates to performance. However, because of the SATA connection, standard SDDs failed to deliver high-performance storage solutions. That’s where PCIe and NVMe came in.

This guide provides insights on NVMe vs SSDs. Is SATA a suitable option? Is NVMe good for server and hosting needs? What are the different variants? 

SSD Variants

There are several variants of solid-state storage, each with its unique characteristics and use cases.

Solid-state drives come in different forms utilizing different hardware interfaces ie. IDE/PATA, SATA, and PCIe. 

Here are all the different variants of SSD available in the market:

  • IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) / PATA (Parallel ATA): These SSDs are found in legacy systems. They use 40- or 80-pin connectors and are relatively slow because they are based on older technology.

  • SATA(Serial ATA): In early 2000, the SATA became the industry standard. It uses 7-pin data and a 15-pin power connector. The generation of SATA interfaces matters. SATA I can offer 150 MB/s or 1.5 Gbit/s. SATA II and SATA III can offer 300 MB/s (~3 Gbit/s) and 600 MB/s (~6 Gbit/s) respectively. SATA SSDs are available in three distinct form factors: 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch, and mSATA.

  • mSATA: The compact size of mSATA makes it a perfect fit for notebooks, laptops, and tablets.

  • SCSI/SAS: SCSI can connect multiple devices to a single host adapter. It finds its application in legacy server racks. SAS is the recent version of SCSI. SAS can offer transmission rates up to 12 Gbps or 24 Gbps. Such speed enhancements make it suitable for data centers and enterprise storage.

  • PCIe: PCIe establishes a fast connection directly to the CPU and underlying storage device, bypassing traditional interfaces. This direct connection makes high throughput possible. NVMe, utilizing PCIe, delivers ultrafast data transfer and improves application response time. NVMe can offer up to 2 GB/s or 4GB/s per lane. For instance, a 4-lane interface can reduce the transfer time almost by 4 times. 

NVMe vs SSD

Standard SSDs are designed to interface through SATA, whereas NVMe SSDs leverage PCIe ports for enhanced performance.

PCIe transmits data through lanes, with each lane capable of transmitting data in both directions simultaneously (full-duplex). 

Performance

An NVMe SSD can be 20 times faster than a normal SSD. The ‘e’ in Non-Volatile Memory Express refers to a PCIe bus. 

Gen 4.0 NVMe SSD can deliver up to 7500 MB/s while Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD can double that speed reaching 14500 MB/s. Contrary to this, a SATA SSD can deliver up to 500 MB/s.

Despite the significant data transmission rate gap, it barely affects personal computing. However, in cloud and hosting solutions, it matters. When a server handles 1k simultaneous requests, high-speed SSDs shine with their I/O efficiency, boosting performance and ensuring smooth service even during peak demand.

Power

NVMe SSDs can consume more power than SATA SSDs, typically around 4-8 watts under load and 1-3 watts under idle conditions, due to the power-intensive PCIe interface. 

Cost

Despite the slightly higher price of NVMe-enabled SSDs, this reflects their superior performance capabilities compared to SATA III SSDs.

NVME Advantages over a Normal SSD

  • Parallel Data Transfer: NVMe leverages multiple lanes to transfer the data, unlike serial communication protocol, where only one bit of data can be transferred at a time. This in turn, improves data bandwidth and throughput.
  • Occupies Less Space: NVMe comes in M.2 and U.2 form factor.  M.2 drives are 22mm wide x 80mm long while the majority of standard SSD comes in a 2.5-inch form factor and has dimensions 69.85mm wide x 100mm long x 7mm (or 9.5mm) thick. With modern laptops and motherboards, you can connect two M.2 drives at the same time.
  • Faster Speed: In the previous section, we already made a comparison of speeds offered by NVMe in contrast to normal SSD.

What to Look for in an NVMe Storage

It's important to note that NVMe SSDs can vary in performance, endurance, and functionalities, which can have a substantial impact based on the specific use case.

PCIe Gen 3 vs Gen 4 vs Gen 5

PCIe has evolved, with newer generations offering faster data transfer speeds and improved performance. 

PCIe Gen 3 provides a maximum data transfer rate of 8 Giga transfers per second (GT/s) per lane, while PCIe Gen 4 doubles this to 16 GT/s per lane. PCIe Gen 5, the latest generation, further increases this to 32 GT/s per lane.

Gen 4 doubles the bandwidth offered by Gen 3. PCIe Gen 4 still holds the bet for consumer markets.

Form Factor

These drives come in different physical sizes.

  • M.2: M.2 are small-size drives that fit directly into the motherboard, ideal for laptops and desktops. SATA SSD also comes with M.2 form factor.
  • U.2: Used in server and enterprise environments, connects via PCIe slots and typically offers higher endurance. U.2 comes with a 2.5-inch form factor
  • PCIe Add-in Cards (AIC): Larger and used primarily for server or high-performance applications, requiring a dedicated PCIe slot.

Heat Sink

Many high-performance drives come with built-in heatsinks to help dissipate heat. Some Gen 4 drives, like the Samsung 980 Pro or Western Digital Black SN850 come with a heatsink for improved performance.

Endurance (TBW or DWPD)

TBW (TerraByte Written) shows the total data that can be written to the drive over its lifespan, while DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) indicates how often the entire drive can be written per day, typically over 5 years.

Hosting Aspect

Opting for NVMe-based SSDs instead of SATA SSDs in hosting and SEO can have a substantial effect on performance and user experience. A bad user experience can hurt SEO rankings and visitor engagement

At Hostman, you can grab NVMe-enabled cloud servers for $2 per month.

C8ce2b76 46a8 4bcf 8eeb E2178d72cb15

Latency

In a hosting environment, low latency is critical for ensuring fast and efficient data access and transfer. NVMe SSDs offer lower latency than SATA SSDs. This means faster response times for your website, especially in situations with high traffic or complex database queries.

Uptime

A high-performance drive is designed to provide reliable and continuous access to data over an extended period. It is built with enterprise-grade components and features that enable it to withstand heavy workloads and maintain its performance levels even under high-stress conditions. The drive may include features such as power loss protection, which helps ensure that data is not lost or corrupted in the event of a sudden power outage. Here, at Hostman, we provide 99.98% uptime.

User Experience

SEO involves not only rankings but also user experience. Hosting on NVMe-enabled servers can speed up website load times, keeping visitors engaged and potentially reducing bounce rates. For e-commerce stores, this could lead to improved conversion rates.

Conclusion

If you're running a smaller website with minimal traffic or non-resource-heavy content, you might not need to migrate just yet. 

For SEO, speed is a critical factor. Google considers page load time and Core Web Vitals as ranking factors, meaning faster websites are more likely to rank higher. 

If you're seeing slow page loads, frequent throttling, or lag during peak traffic times with traditional SSD hosting, NVMe hosting might be just the upgrade you need to avoid losing users and boost your rankings.

Similarly, if you run a high-traffic website, such as an e-commerce store, media platform, or blog with rich multimedia content, the performance boost from NVMe storage can be a game-changer. 

Upgrading to NVMe web hosting can improve the website’s performance. With Non-Volatile Memory Express hosting, you get top-tier speed, reliability, and efficiency, far exceeding traditional SSD hosting. However, NVMe's power isn’t always necessary for every type of website.

Infrastructure

Similar

Infrastructure

VMware Virtualization: What It Is and How It Works

VMware virtualization is an advanced technology that allows multiple independent operating systems to run on a single physical device. It creates virtual machines (VMs) that emulate fully functional computers, ensuring their isolation and efficient use of hardware resources. Virtualization enables the distribution of a server's computing power among multiple VMs, each functioning autonomously and supporting its own operating system and applications. This makes the technology highly valuable in corporate and cloud environments. In this article, we will explore how VMware virtualization works and review its key products. How VMware Virtualization Works The foundation of the technology is the hypervisor—a software platform that manages virtual machines and their interaction with physical hardware. The hypervisor allocates resources (CPU, RAM, disks, network) and ensures VM isolation, preventing them from affecting each other. Hypervisors are divided into two types: Type 1 (Native, Bare-Metal) These hypervisors run directly on physical hardware without an intermediate operating system. They offer high performance and are widely used in corporate data centers. Example: VMware ESXi. Type 2 (Hosted) These are installed on top of an operating system, which simplifies usage but reduces performance due to the additional layer. Examples: VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion. VMware provides comprehensive virtualization solutions, including products such as vSphere, ESXi, and vCenter. These allow the creation and management of VMs while efficiently distributing server resources. For example, the ESXi hypervisor operates at the hardware level, ensuring reliable isolation and dynamic resource allocation. vCenter offers centralized management of server clusters, supporting features like live VM migration (vMotion), virtual networks (NSX), and storage (vSAN). VMware Product Line for Virtualization VMware offers a wide range of tools for different virtualization tasks. Here’s an overview of key products and their applications: VMware Workstation What it is: Software that allows running multiple virtual machines on a single physical computer or laptop. Supports multiple operating systems including Windows, Linux, BSD, and Solaris. Features include snapshot creation and built-in support for graphics components such as DirectX and OpenGL. Purpose: Used for creating and testing applications in isolated virtual environments, emulating various operating systems and configurations. Who it’s for: Developers, QA engineers, and other IT professionals needing to test software or explore new technologies. Also suitable for beginners and students learning the basics of virtualization. VMware Fusion What it is: A version of VMware Workstation for Apple computers. It offers similar functionality but supports a more limited set of operating systems. Purpose: Allows running services and applications, including Windows apps, on Mac computers without installing an additional operating system for testing or development. Who it’s for: Mac users who need to run Windows applications. Also used by developers creating cross-platform applications on macOS. VMware Horizon What it is: A virtualization environment providing virtual desktops (VDI) and applications. Enables centralized management of virtual desktops, apps, and services. Purpose: Offers remote access to desktops and applications, simplifying management and enhancing data security. Who it’s for: Companies needing to organize remote work and ensure secure access to corporate resources. Can also be used for centralized workstation management. VMware Cloud Foundation What it is: An integrated software platform for managing hybrid clouds. Provides a unified solution that automates and scales cloud infrastructure. Purpose: Simplifies deployment and management of private and hybrid clouds, providing a consistent approach to infrastructure and automation. Who it’s for: Large enterprises and organizations that want scalable cloud infrastructures supporting hybrid scenarios. VMware ESXi What it is: A Type 1 hypervisor for creating and managing virtual machines. Installed on physical servers without requiring an operating system. Purpose: Used for creating and managing a large number of VMs and other virtual devices, optimizing resource usage and ensuring high reliability. Who it’s for: Medium and large enterprises. Ideal for data center use. VMware vCenter What it is: A centralized platform for managing VMware virtual components. Controls ESXi hosts, virtual machines, and data storage. Purpose: Simplifies management of numerous virtual machines and hypervisors, offering full control over the virtual infrastructure. Who it’s for: Large organizations needing centralized management of their virtualized environment. VMware vSphere What it is: A virtualization platform for creating, managing, and running multiple VMs on a single physical server. Comprises VMware ESXi and the VMware vCenter Server management system. Purpose: Provides a scalable and reliable environment for critical applications, supporting high availability and fault tolerance. Who it’s for: Enterprises of any size that require a robust virtual infrastructure. Alternative Products Although VMware leads the virtualization market, there are many other software products—both free and commercial—for virtualization, including: Proxmox VE Microsoft Hyper-V XenServer Red Hat Virtualization oVirt OpenStack Nutanix AHV Oracle VirtualBox QEMU/KVM Parallels Desktop Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop Nutanix Frame Virtualization Capabilities Virtualization offers the following advantages: Isolation: Each VM operates independently, minimizing failure risks. Flexibility: Quick creation, cloning, and migration of VMs across servers. Efficiency: Optimized use of server resources. High Availability: Technologies like vMotion and Fault Tolerance ensure uninterrupted operation. Automation: Tools simplify deployment and monitoring. Business Benefits of Virtualization Virtualization provides businesses with opportunities to optimize processes and improve efficiency: Reduce hardware costs by consolidating servers. Quickly deploy new applications without purchasing additional hardware. Enable remote access to workstations (e.g., via VMware Horizon). Simplify infrastructure management with vCenter. Scale IT resources to support company growth. Conclusion In today’s article, we explored the principles of virtualization using VMware hypervisors—a powerful tool for optimizing, scaling, and securing IT infrastructure. We reviewed the VMware product line, each product offering unique features for specific tasks. Key VMware product capabilities include: Virtual machine management: Full lifecycle support for VMs, including creation and configuration. Clustering and automated load balancing: High Availability and Distributed Resource Scheduler technologies ensure uptime and efficient resource use. Virtual network segmentation and protection: VMware NSX enables secure and flexible network configurations. Virtualized storage creation: vSAN technology ensures efficient management of data storage.
23 September 2025 · 6 min to read
Infrastructure

Neural Networks for Presentations: Overview and Comparison

Since the advent of the first neural networks, it was believed that they would only work with text. However, progress does not stand still, and today neural networks not only generate text but also work seamlessly with photos, videos, and graphics. Yet, this is not the limit of artificial intelligence capabilities. One such capability is creating presentations. Previously, users had to manually create presentations using various office programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint, LibreOffice Impress, OpenOffice Impress, Apple Keynote, Google Slides, and others. But with the development of AI, users now only need to compose a simple text query specifying the topic and parameters for the future presentation, or use one of the ready-made templates for quickly generating complete presentations. Today we will review MagicSlides (GPT for Slides), Plus AI, Gamma, SlidesGo, SendSteps, and Pitch. Basic Features of AI Presentation Generators Each of the AI presentation software reviewed in this article has basic capabilities, including: Free trial period. Support for multiple languages. Presentation creation using prompts (text queries). A wide variety of templates. Generated presentations are suitable for different tasks, ranging from creating educational materials to business applications. MagicSlides (GPT for Slides) An AI-powered plugin integrated with Google Slides. It allows users to quickly create professional presentations using text, PDFs, and YouTube videos. Before generation, users can set their own parameters, such as color scheme, font, and style. Advantages: Slide creation from various sources, including plain text, web pages, YouTube videos, and PDF files. Integration with Google Slides without the need to install or configure third-party services. Presentations are generated in 2-3 minutes. Disadvantages: Limited usage: the plugin only works with Google Slides and cannot be used independently or with other services. Limited customization: despite basic functions such as color and style selection, MagicSlides offers a limited range of templates and layouts, lacking advanced tools for graphic editing and animation. Generation quality depends heavily on the accuracy of the entered prompt and the detail of the specified topic. Plus AI Plus AI is an AI-powered tool for creating presentations in Google Slides and PowerPoint. Users simply enter a text query in any language, and the service generates a ready-made presentation. Advantages: Simple integration with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint, provided as a ready-to-use plugin. Intuitive interface and easy operation, suitable for both beginners and professionals. Snapshots feature: embeds dynamically updating data snapshots from web pages or other sources into presentations. Disadvantages: Limited trial: the free trial lasts only 7 days and requires a credit card to start. Limited usage: Plus AI works only with Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint. Weak customization: limited flexibility for configuring specific templates. Gamma An AI-based platform designed to simplify presentation creation. The developers position the service as an alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint, offering a more flexible and interactive approach to visualizing ideas. It has numerous features and integrations with third-party services. Advantages: Create presentations from various sources, including Word, PDF, PowerPoint files, or URLs. One-Click Polish: automatically improves slide design and formatting to make them professional without manual adjustment. Collaborative features: users can work on presentations in real time, including editing, commenting, and suggesting changes. Multimedia support: allows adding GIFs, videos, and charts. Built-in analytics: tracks views and audience engagement during presentations. Over a dozen integrations with third-party services, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365, PowerPoint, Typeform, Google Slides, Google Docs, and Google Drive. Disadvantages: Results depend on the prompt: the best outcomes require highly precise prompts. Export issues to PowerPoint: formatting errors can occur, including overlapping elements and unsupported fonts. SlidesGo A popular platform for creating presentations, offering a wide range of professionally designed templates for Google Slides, Canva, and PowerPoint. It has a simple and clear web interface. Advantages: Extensive template library: more than a thousand templates for any topic, both free and premium. Cloud access: work on presentations across multiple devices. AI Lesson Plan generator: a section specifically for teachers to generate educational content for schools and universities. Disadvantages: Template quality: some templates may appear outdated or poorly designed. SendSteps An AI-powered tool for creating interactive presentations. Simplifies preparation for educational, business, and conference purposes, saving time through automation of content, design, and interactive elements. Advantages: Focus on education: provides many ready-made templates for schools and universities, helping teachers save preparation time. Interactive quizzes enhance student engagement. Support for interactive elements: live polls, quizzes, Q&A sessions, and voting can be included in presentations. Unique content generation: includes a built-in plagiarism checker to ensure content originality. Disadvantages: Technical issues: generation or interactive features may sometimes fail. Limited free version: allows creating only two presentations, in English only, with restrictions on interactive content. Pitch An AI-powered presentation tool positioned as a competitor to Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote. It is designed with a focus on simplicity, collaborative work, and stylish design. Advantages: Simple and intuitive interactive editor with full customization: when creating a presentation, users can fully customize the background, color scheme, and fonts. Collaboration features: presentations are stored in a shared workspace, allowing users to manage access and coordinate actions with others. Wide selection of templates: includes a large library of templates for different purposes, including corporate templates. Templates can be easily customized if needed. Cloud synchronization: allows work on presentations from any device. Official mobile apps for iOS and Android: mobile applications simplify working with presentations on the go. Disadvantages: No offline mode: Pitch relies on the cloud, which may limit usability without an internet connection. Dependence on paid subscription: some features, such as interactive elements and exporting presentations to PDF/PPTX formats, are only available in the paid version. Conclusion: Comparison Table We reviewed six AI presentation makers. Each service has its own advantages and disadvantages. The table below clearly shows the features of all the AI tools mentioned in this article:   MagicSlides (GPT for Slides) Plus AI Gamma SlidesGo SendSteps Pitch Free Trial Available but limited: up to 3 presentations per month, max 10 slides each. 7-day trial, then paid subscription required. Available but limited: watermarks and restricted export. Fully free basic plan, premium features like tech support are optional. Fully free plan, creation of only 2 presentations. Fully free plan, unlimited presentations. Pricing Essential: $8/mo, Pro: $16/mo, Premium: $29/mo; 33% discount for annual payment. Basic: $10/mo, Pro: $20/mo, Team: $30/mo, Enterprise: quote-based. Plus: $10/mo, Pro: $20/mo; 25% annual discount. Premium: €1.99/mo; 67% annual discount. Starter: $9.50/mo, Professional: $19.50/mo, Enterprise: quote-based; 31% annual discount. Pro: $20/mo, Business: $80/mo; 15% annual discount. Third-Party Integrations Google Slides, YouTube, Wikipedia Slack, Google Slides, Notion, Confluence, Coda, Canva, Slite, Guru, Gitbook, Gamma, Tome, Fermat, Obsidian Microsoft Word, Tally, Unsplash, Calendly, Microsoft 365, PowerPoint, Airtable, Typeform, Google Slides, Google Docs, Miro, Amplitude, Google Drive, GIPHY, Figma, Power BI Export presentations to Google Slides and PowerPoint None HubSpot, Slack, Notion, Loom, Unsplash External Source Support Supports YouTube videos, PDF, URL (web scraping), Wikipedia No support, only text input or PDF/PPTX/TXT upload No support, only text or PDF No, only text input or Freepik/Pexels media No, only text input or PDF/PPTX/DOCX/TXT upload No, only text input Slide Editing Limited, editing only through Google Slides Full editing in Google Slides/PowerPoint Full built-in editor Full built-in editor Limited editing Full built-in editor Animation & Interactivity Support Yes, through Google Slides (transitions, animations) Yes, automatic animations and transitions Yes, animations, video, interactive elements Limited Yes, polls, quizzes, timers, videos Yes, animations and transitions Export Formats PPTX, PDF, Google Slides PPTX, Google Slides PDF, PowerPoint (limited in free plan) PDF, JPEG, PPTX PDF, PPTX PDF, PPTX
22 September 2025 · 8 min to read
Infrastructure

Gemini AI: User Guide with Instructions

Large language models (LLMs) are gaining popularity today. They are capable of generating not only text but also many other types of content: code, images, video, and audio. Major companies, having large resources, train their models on text data collected by humanity throughout its history. Naturally, the international IT giant Google is no exception: it not only created its own model, Gemini, but also integrated it into its ecosystem of services. This article will discuss the large language model Gemini, its features, and capabilities. Overview of Gemini Gemini is a family of multimodal large language models (LLMs), launched by Google DeepMind in December 2023. Before that, the company used other models: PaLM and LaMDA. As of today, Gemini is one of the most powerful and flexible LLM neural networks, capable of conducting complex dialogues, planning multitasking scenarios, and working with any type of data, from text to video. Capabilities of Gemini The Gemini model not only generates content but also provides many additional functions and broad capabilities for working with different types of content: Multimodality. Through interaction with auxiliary models (Imagen and Veo), Gemini can work with different types of content: text, code, documents, images, audio, and video. Large context window. On paid plans, Gemini can analyze up to 1 million tokens in a single session. This is approximately one hour of video or 30,000 pages of text. AI agents. With some built-in functions, Gemini can autonomously perform chains of actions to search for information in external sources: third-party sites or documents in Google Drive. Integration with services. On paid subscription plans, Gemini integrates with services from the Google ecosystem: Gmail, Docs, Search, and many others. Special API. With the API provided by the Google Cloud platform, Gemini can be integrated into applications developed by third parties. With this set of features, Gemini can be used without limitations. It serves as a universal platform both for end users who need content generation or specific information, and for developers who want to integrate a powerful multimodal AI into their applications. How to Use Gemini AI As part of the Google ecosystem, the Gemini model has many touchpoints with the user. It is available in several places: from search results in the browser to office applications on mobile devices. So technically, you can access Google Gemini AI through various interfaces; all of them are merely “windows” into the central core. Google Search Results You can see Gemini at work in Google search results: the system supplements the list of found sites with additional reference information generated by Gemini. However, this doesn’t always happen. In Google, this feature is called Generative AI Snippet. Gemini analyzes the query, gathers information, and displays a short answer below the search box. Often, such a snippet turns out to be very useful. It provides a brief summary of the topic of interest. Thus, Google search results allow you to obtain information on a certain subject without going to websites. Web Application The most common and professional tool for interacting with Gemini is a dedicated website with a chatbot designed for direct dialogues with the model. This is where all the main Gemini features are available. With such dialogues, you can communicate, create text, write code, and generate images and videos. The Gemini web application has an interface typical of most LLM services: in the center is the chat with the model, at the bottom is a text input field with an option to attach files, and on the left is a list of started dialogues. The interaction algorithm with the model is simple. The user enters a query, and the model generates a response within a few seconds. The type of response can be anything: a story, recipe, poem, reference, code, image, or video. Yes, Gemini can generate images and videos using other models developed by Google: Imagen. A diffusion model for generating photorealistic images from text descriptions (text-to-image), notable for its high level of detail and realism. Veo. An advanced model for generating cinematic videos from text descriptions (text-to-video) or other images (image-to-video), notable for its high level of coherence and dynamics. Thanks to such integration, you can enter text prompts for generating images and videos directly inside the chatbot. Quick and convenient! The web version contains a wide range of tools for professional content generation and information gathering: Deep Research. A specialized mode for conducting in-depth, multi-step research using information from publicly available internet sources. With intelligent agents, Gemini autonomously searches, reads, analyzes, and synthesizes information from hundreds or even thousands of sources, ultimately producing a full report on the topic of interest. Unlike regular search, which provides short answers and links, Deep Research mode generates detailed reports by analyzing and summarizing information. However, one should understand that such deep analysis takes time, on average, from 5 to 15 minutes. Canvas. An interactive workspace that allows users to create, edit, and refine documents, code, and other materials in real time. Essentially, it is a kind of virtual “whiteboard” for more dynamic interaction with the language model. Thus, Canvas is focused on interactive creation, editing, and real-time content collaboration, while Deep Research is aimed at collecting and synthesizing information to provide comprehensive reports.   Deep Research Canvas Purpose In-depth data collection/analysis Interactive creation and editing of content Result Detailed reports Edited documents Mode Autonomous Active Execution time Several minutes Instant Task type Research, reviews, analytics, summaries Writing, coding, prototyping Users can attach various files to their messages, from documents to images. Along with a text prompt, Gemini can analyze media files, describing their content. Thus, the user can create multimodal queries consisting of both text and media simultaneously. This approach increases the accuracy of responses and creates a wider communication channel between humans and AI. In other words, the browser version is the main way to use Gemini. It is also worth briefly discussing how to register for Gemini and what is required for this. In most LLM services, authorization is required. Gemini is no exception. To launch the chatbot, you must sign in with a Google account. The registration process is standard. You need to provide your first and last name, phone number, and desired nickname. After this, you can use not only Gemini but also the rest of the Google ecosystem applications. Mobile App for Android and iOS You can download the official Gemini mobile app from Google Play or App Store. Functionality-wise, it is not very different from the web version available in a browser, but it has deeper features for user interaction and smartphone integration. Moreover, on many Android devices, the app comes pre-installed. Essentially, it is a mobile client that expands cross-platform access to the Gemini language model. The main differences lie in optimization for specific platforms: Content management. On the browser version accessed from a computer, it is much more convenient to work with text, code, tables, graphs, diagrams, images, and video. Conversely, the mobile app interface, designed for touch and gesture interaction, simplifies use on smartphones and tablets, but does not offer the same efficiency as a keyboard and mouse. Voice input and interaction. The mobile app has more advanced voice input and live interaction features (Gemini Live), allowing you to communicate with the model in real time, using the camera to show objects, the microphone for direct conversation, and screen capture to share images. The browser version lacks this functionality. Device-specific features. The Gemini mobile app integrates closely with smartphone functions (clock, alarm, calendar, documents) for more personalized interaction. The browser version exists in a kind of vacuum and knows almost nothing about the user’s computer. Apart from accessing other websites, it has no “window” into the outside world. In rare cases, it can extract data from other Google services such as Gmail and Google Docs. Multitasking convenience. On a large computer screen, it is easier to work with multiple windows, copy and paste information, which enables more efficient interaction with Gemini. On the other hand, the portability of the mobile app makes it possible to use the model “on the go,” simplifying quick queries during travel. Nevertheless, Google regularly releases updates, and Gemini’s functionality is constantly evolving. Therefore, the differences between the web version and the mobile app change over time. Gemini Assistant On many smartphones running the Android operating system, the Gemini model is gradually replacing the classic Google Assistant. That is, when you long-press the central button or say the phrase “Hey Google,” Gemini launches. It accepts the same voice commands but generates more accurate responses with expanded explanations and consolidated information from different apps. This may also include functions for managing messages, photos, alarms, timers, smart home devices, and much more. Some smartphone manufacturers specifically add a quick-access Gemini button directly to the lock screen, allowing you to instantly continue a conversation or ask a question without unlocking the phone. Thus, Gemini is gradually bringing together multiple functions, transforming into a unified smart control center for the phone. And most likely, this trend will only continue. Chrome Browser In new versions of Google’s Chrome browser, the Gemini neural network is built in by default and is available via an icon in the toolbar or by pressing a hotkey. This way, on any page, you can run queries to analyze text, create a summary, or provide brief explanations of the content of the open site. And let’s not forget third-party extensions that allow Gemini to be integrated into the browser, expanding its basic functionality. Google Ecosystem Services On paid plans, Gemini is available in many Google Workflow services. It adds interactivity to working with documents and content: Gmail. Helps draft and edit emails based on bullet points or existing text. Docs. Generates article drafts and edits text and sentence style. Slides. Instantly creates multiple versions of illustrations and graphics based on a description of the required visuals. Drive. Summarizes document contents, extracts key metrics, and generates information cards directly in the service interface. This is only a small list of apps in the Google ecosystem where you can use Gemini. The main point of integrating the model into services is to automate routine tasks and reduce the burden on the user. Plugins and Extensions for Third-Party Applications For third-party applications, separate plugins are available for integration with Gemini. The most common are extensions for IDE editors, messengers, and CRM systems. For example, there is the official Gemini Code Assist extension, which embeds Gemini into integrated development environments such as Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs. It provides autocomplete, code generation and transformation, as well as a built-in chat and links to source documentation. There are also unofficial plugins for CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot, as well as for messengers like Slack and Teams. In these, Gemini helps generate ad copy and support responses, as well as automates workflows through the API. Versions and Pricing Plans for Gemini First, Google offers both free and paid plans for personal use: Free. A basic plan with limited functionality. Suitable for most standard tasks. Free of charge. Access to basic models, Gemini Flash and Gemini Pro. The first is optimized for fast and simple tasks, the second offers more advanced features but with limitations. Limited context window size up to 32,000 tokens (equivalent to about 50 pages of text). No integration with Google Workspace apps (Gmail, Docs, and others). No video generation functions. Data may be used to improve models (this can be disabled in settings, but it is enabled by default). Limited usage quotas for more advanced models and functions. Advanced. An enhanced plan with extended functionality. Suitable for complex tasks requiring deep data analysis. Pricing starts at $20/month. Access to advanced and experimental models without restrictions. Increased context window size up to 1 million tokens (equivalent to about 1,500 pages of text or 30,000 lines of code). Deep integration with Google Workspace apps. Image and video generation functions. Data is not used to improve models. Expanded voice interaction capabilities via Gemini Live, including the ability to show objects through the camera. Priority access to future AI features and updates. Second, there are extended plans for commercial (business) and non-commercial (educational) organizations, offering additional collaboration and management features: Business. Provides extended functionality of the Advanced plan with additional tools for team use. Designed for small and medium businesses. Pricing starts at $24/month. Enterprise. Provides extended functionality of the Business plan with additional tools for AI meeting summaries, improved audio and video quality, data privacy, and security protection. It also has higher limits and increased priority access. Designed for large international companies with high security and scalability requirements. Pricing starts at $36/month. Education. Provides full access to Gemini’s generative capabilities for educational institutions, including many additional features tailored to the learning environment. Custom pricing. Gemini API for Developers Specifically for developers engaged in machine learning and building services based on large language models, Google provides a full API for interacting with Gemini without a graphical user interface. Moreover, Google has separate cloud platforms for more efficient development and testing of applications built with the Gemini API: Google AI Studio. A lightweight and accessible platform designed for developers, students, and researchers who want to quickly experiment with generative models, particularly the Gemini family from Google. The tool is focused on working with large language models (LLMs): it allows you to quickly create and test prompts, adjust model parameters, and get generated content. The platform offers an intuitive interface without requiring deep immersion into machine learning infrastructure. Simply put, it’s a full-fledged sandbox for a quick start in the AI industry. Vertex AI. A comprehensive artificial intelligence and machine learning platform in Google Cloud, designed to simplify the development, deployment, and scaling of models. It combines various tools and services into a unified, consistent workflow. Essentially, it is a unified set of APIs for the entire AI lifecycle, from data preparation to training, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring of models. In short, it is a complete specialized ecosystem. Gemini Gems. A set of features in Google Gemini designed to automate repetitive tasks and fine-tune model behavior. It allows you to create mini-models tailored for specific, narrow tasks: creating recipes, writing code, generating ideas, translating text, assisting with learning, and much more. In addition to manual configuration, there are many ready-made templates. Naturally, Google provides the API as a separate channel for interacting with Gemini. With its help, developers can integrate text generation, code writing, image processing, audio, and video capabilities directly into their applications. Access to the API is possible through the Google Cloud computing platform. Working with Gemini without a graphical user interface is a separate topic beyond the scope of this article. You can find more detailed information about the Gemini API in the official Google Cloud documentation. Nevertheless, it can be said with certainty that working with the Gemini API is no different from working with the API of any other service. For example, here is a simple Python code that performs several text generation requests: from google import genai # client initialization client = genai.Client(api_key="AUTHORIZATION_TOKEN") # one-time text generation response = client.models.generate_content( model="gemini-2.0-flash", contents="Explain in simple words how generative AI works", ) print(response.text) # step-by-step text generation for chunk in client.models.stream_generate_content( model="gemini-2.0-pro", contents="Write a poem about spring", ): print(chunk.text, end="", flush=True) At the same time, Google provides numerous reference materials to help you master cloud-based AI generation: Documentation. Official reference for all possible capabilities and functions of the Gemini API. GitHub Examples. Numerous examples of using the Gemini API in Go, JavaScript, Python, and Java. GitHub Cookbook. Practical materials explaining how to use the Gemini API with ready-made script examples. Thus, Gemini offers developers special conditions and tools for integrating the model into the logic of other applications. This is not surprising, since Google has one of the largest cloud infrastructures in the world. Conclusion The Gemini model stands out favorably from many other LLM neural networks, supporting working with multimodal data: text, code, images, and video. Google, with its rich ecosystem, seeks to integrate Gemini into all its services, adding flexibility to the classic user experience.
19 September 2025 · 14 min to read

Do you have questions,
comments, or concerns?

Our professionals are available to assist you at any moment,
whether you need help or are just unsure of where to start.
Email us
Hostman's Support