Model Comparison
Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3 FlashWhich is better in 2026?
Claude Opus 4.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash is 8.9x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3 Flash — which is better?
Claude Opus 4.5 (by Anthropic) and Gemini 3 Flash (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.
Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (ARC-AGI v2, MCP Atlas, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0), while Gemini 3 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU). Claude Opus 4.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, Gemini 3 Flash is roughly 8.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 3 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude Opus 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 6 shared benchmarks
Choose Gemini 3 Flash if…
- cost matters — it's about 8.9x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (ARC-AGI v2, MCP Atlas, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0), while Gemini 3 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU).
Claude Opus 4.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Gemini 3 Flash ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 8.3x more expensive than Gemini 3 Flash ($3.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.5 is more expensive than Gemini 3 Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3 Flash accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 200,000 tokens. Gemini 3 Flash can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude Opus 4.5 and Gemini 3 Flash support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Opus 4.5
Gemini 3 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 Opus 4.5 was released on 2025-11-24, while Gemini 3 Flash was released on 2025-12-17.
Gemini 3 Flash is 1 month newer than Claude Opus 4.5.
Nov 24, 2025
6 months ago
Dec 17, 2025
5 months ago
3w newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Opus 4.5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-31, while Gemini 3 Flash has a cutoff of 2025-01-31.
Claude Opus 4.5 has more recent training data (up to 2025-03-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemini 3 Flash (2025-01-31).
Mar 2025
2 mo newerJan 2025
Provider Availability
Claude Opus 4.5 is available from Anthropic. Gemini 3 Flash is available from Google.
Claude Opus 4.5
Gemini 3 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude Opus 4.5
View detailsAnthropic
Detailed Comparison
| Feature |
|---|
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3 Flash.