AI Model Watch
Deprecations / Migrate

Migrate off Text Embedding 004

Retired

Text Embedding 004 has been retired and shut down on 14 Jan 2026. Google's official replacement is Gemini Embedding 2. The cheapest comparable model we track is Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Meta) at $0.022 per 1M tokens blended.

Last verified: 19 Aug 2026 · sourced from official provider documentation

StatusRetiredGoogle
Shut down14 Jan 2026plan ahead
Official replacementGemini Embedding 2GACheapest alternativeLlama 3.1 8B Instruct$0.022 /M blended
What changes

Text Embedding 004 → Gemini Embedding 2

SpecText Embedding 004Gemini Embedding 2
StatusRetiredGA
Blended price /1M——
Input / output /1M—$0.2 / —
Context window—8K
Max output——
Modalitytexttext, image, video, audio, pdf
Knowledge cutoff——

API string was text-embedding-004 → switch to gemini-embedding-2. See Gemini Embedding 2's full spec sheet →

Cheapest alternatives

Budget-friendly replacements for Text Embedding 004

Generally-available models that match Text Embedding 004's capabilities, ranked by blended price. Every number is computed from official catalog prices.

ModelBlended /1MInput / outputContext
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Meta
$0.022$0.02 / $0.03128K
Amazon Nova Micro
Amazon
$0.061$0.035 / $0.14128K
Command R7B
Cohere
$0.066$0.037 / $0.15128K
FAQ

Migrating off Text Embedding 004

What replaces Text Embedding 004?

Google's recommended migration for Text Embedding 004 is Gemini Embedding 2. The cheapest comparable model in our catalog is Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Meta) at $0.022/1M blended.

Is Text Embedding 004 still available?

No — Text Embedding 004 has been retired (shut down 14 Jan 2026) and is no longer available via Google's API.

What is the cheapest alternative to Text Embedding 004?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Meta) is the cheapest generally-available alternative we track that matches Text Embedding 004's capabilities, at $0.02 per 1M input and $0.03 per 1M output tokens ($0.022/1M blended).

Browse the full deprecation watch → or see Text Embedding 004's full spec sheet →