Google is reportedly building an Ultra mode for AI Studio Build

Google appears to be building a premium upgrade inside its own vibe coding tool.

According to TestingCatalog, the company is developing a new Ultra mode for AI Studio Build. The goal is to improve app generation with more advanced tools and skills. Google has not officially announced the feature, and no launch timeline has been documented.

What TestingCatalog spotted

The report describes Ultra mode as a work-in-progress upgrade to AI Studio Build. Its stated purpose is to strengthen how the tool generates apps by giving it access to more advanced tools and skills.

Google has not publicly confirmed what those tools and skills include. Pricing, availability and eligible users are also unconfirmed.

The name invites an obvious guess. Google already sells a subscription called Google AI Ultra, and a feature with matching branding would slot neatly into that product ladder.

Recent changes to AI Studio have mostly focused on raising usage quotas for paying subscribers, not on carving out a separate mode. TestingCatalog’s report would mark a shift in that pattern if the feature ships.

How Build mode works today

You describe an app in natural language, and the tool generates a full-stack application. Under the hood, that means a React frontend running on a Node.js runtime, with Firebase integrations handling backend needs. Users get a live preview as the app takes shape.

The heavy lifting comes from Antigravity, Google’s coding agent. It supports an iterative workflow, so users can refine an app through follow-up prompts instead of starting from scratch each time.

Finished projects can sync with GitHub. Deployment options include Google’s Cloud Run.

Updates rolled out in late 2025 and through 2026 added multimodal tools and support for generating native Android apps. Users can now build certain apps without managing API keys, which removes one of the more tedious chores standing between a hobbyist and a first working project.

Google’s subscription ladder

Google currently splits AI access into tiers. The free tier offers a baseline, while AI Pro costs $19.99/month and comes with progressively higher usage limits.

Google AI Ultra sits at the top. That subscription typically runs between $99.99 and $249.99 per month.

Ultra subscribers get enhanced usage limits and access to premium models such as the Gemini Pro series and Nano Banana Pro. They also receive added functionality in AI Studio, including inside Build mode.

A dedicated Ultra mode would be a different kind of offer: a distinct capability rather than a larger bucket of usage.

What this means for developers and Google

For Google, a subscription that can cost as much as $249.99 per month needs features that feel genuinely exclusive, and quota increases only stretch so far as a selling point. A more capable version of Build reserved for premium users would give power users a concrete reason to move from free to Pro to Ultra.

Caution is warranted, though. Features spotted during development can change names, shift scope, or never ship at all, and Google has put no date on this one.

What to watch next: an official announcement from Google, any pricing or tier details, and whether Ultra mode arrives as a standalone capability or simply repackages perks that Ultra subscribers already receive.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.