> AI Studio uses your API account behind the scenes
This is not true for the Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview model, at least. Although this model API is not available on the Free Tier [1], you can still use it on AI Studio.
It's unmarked sarcasm. I don't think it's become easier or simpler in all seriousness. This isn't a bad thing- as things become more important, more concerns rise above the surface, and as more concerns rise above the surface, dealing with them all makes it harder.
This is not true for the Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview model, at least. Although this model API is not available on the Free Tier [1], you can still use it on AI Studio.
[1] https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing