To provide a rubber composition capable of improving fuel efficiency, wet grip performance and wear resistance in a balanced manner, and to provide a pneumatic tire using the same.

The rubber composition includes a rubber component, silica and a diene rubber gel having hydroxyl group and a glass transition temperature from -40 to -10°C. Of 100 mass% of the rubber component, the content of a conjugate diene polymer which has a conjugate diene-based structural unit and a structural unit represented by formula (I) and at least one end of which is modified with a silicon compound having a specific group is 5 mass% or more. Relative to 100 pts.wt. of the rubber component, the content of the silica is 5-150 pts.mass, and the content of the diene rubber gel is 10-30 pts.mass. [In formula (I), X¹, X² and X³ each independently represent a group represented by formula (Ia), hydroxyl, hydrocarbyl or substituted hydrocarbyl, at least one of X¹, X² and X³ is a group represented by formula (Ia) or hydroxyl]. [In formula (Ia), R¹ and R² each independently represent 1-6C hydrocarbyl, 1-6C substituted hydrocarbyl, silyl or substituted silyl, and R¹ and R² may be bonded to form a cyclic structure with nitrogen atom].