Model Comparison

Claude 3 Opus vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Claude 3 Opus vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite — which is better?

Claude 3 Opus (by Anthropic) and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (by Google) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

On price, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is roughly 35.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude 3 Opus if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • cost matters — it's about 35.3x 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 Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Litedon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs less

For input processing, Claude 3 Opus ($15.00/1M tokens) is 50.0x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude 3 Opus ($75.00/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude 3 Opus is more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input tokens$15.00
Output tokens$75.00
Best providerAnthropic
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$2.50
Best providerGoogle
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Claude 3 Opus's 200,000 tokens. Claude 3 Opus can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Claude 3 Opus

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Claude 3 Opus

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude 3 Opus was released on 2024-02-29, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 29 months newer than Claude 3 Opus.

Claude 3 Opus

Feb 29, 2024

2.4 years ago

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Jul 21, 2026

0 days ago

2.4yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Claude 3 Opus's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude 3 Opus's cutoff date.

Claude 3 Opus

—

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Mar 2026

Provider Availability

Claude 3 Opus is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google.

Claude 3 Opus

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $15.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $75.00/1M

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude 3 Opus
✓ Preferred
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude 3 Opus
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Claude 3 Opus vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.

Which is better, Claude 3 Opus or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Claude 3 Opus (Anthropic) and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (Google) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Claude 3 Opus compare to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite in benchmarks?

Claude 3 Opus scores ARC-C: 96.4%, HellaSwag: 95.4%, GSM8k: 95.0%, MGSM: 90.7%, BIG-Bench Hard: 86.8%. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite scores CharXiv-R: 76.5%, OSWorld-Verified: 74.0%, SWE-Bench Pro: 54.2%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 54.0%, MLE-Bench: 39.2%.

Is Claude 3 Opus cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 50.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude 3 Opus costs $15.00/M input and $75.00/M output via anthropic. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.30/M input and $2.50/M output via google.

What are the context window sizes for Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Claude 3 Opus supports 200K tokens and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($15.00 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude 3 Opus and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Claude 3 Opus is developed by Anthropic and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is developed by Google.

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