Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs Gemini 3.8 Flash
Gemini 3.8 Flash leads the LLM Stats Score 51.3 to 19.3. Gemini 3.8 Flash is 4.0x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · Google · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemini 3.8 Flash leads the overall LLM Stats Score 51.3 to 19.3, ranking #14 overall.
On price, Gemini 3.8 Flash is roughly 4.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 3.8 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude 3.5 Sonnet
- you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output
Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash
- overall performance matters — it scores 51.3 and ranks #14 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- cost matters — it's about 4.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
19 reported for Claude 3.5 Sonnet · 13 for Gemini 3.8 Flash
Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Gemini 3.8 Flashdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3.5 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Gemini 3.8 Flash ($0.75/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3.5 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Gemini 3.8 Flash ($3.75/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3.5 Sonnet is more expensive than Gemini 3.8 Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3.8 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Claude 3.5 Sonnet's 200,000 tokens. Claude 3.5 Sonnet can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.8 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Gemini 3.8 Flash support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Gemini 3.8 Flash
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude 3.5 Sonnet was released on 2024-10-22, while Gemini 3.8 Flash was released on 2026-09-02.
Gemini 3.8 Flash is 23 months newer than Claude 3.5 Sonnet.
Oct 22, 2024
1.9 years ago
Sep 2, 2026
0 days ago
1.9yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 3.8 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Claude 3.5 Sonnet's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemini 3.8 Flash's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude 3.5 Sonnet's cutoff date.
—
Mar 2026
Provider Availability
Claude 3.5 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Gemini 3.8 Flash is available from Google.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Gemini 3.8 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3.5 Sonnet vs Gemini 3.8 Flash.