Model Comparison

Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 11.8x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite — which is better?

Claude Opus 4.6 (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.

Claude Opus 4.6 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, GDPval-AA, MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is roughly 11.8x 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 Opus 4.6 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • cost matters — it's about 11.8x 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

3 benchmarks

Claude Opus 4.6 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, GDPval-AA, MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs less

For input processing, Claude Opus 4.6 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 16.7x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Opus 4.6 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.6 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 Opus 4.6
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$25.00
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 Opus 4.6's 1,000,000 tokens. Claude Opus 4.6 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.6
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output128,000 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 Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite support multimodal inputs.

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

Claude Opus 4.6

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 Opus 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Opus 4.6 was released on 2026-02-05, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 6 months newer than Claude Opus 4.6.

Claude Opus 4.6

Feb 5, 2026

5 months ago

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Jul 21, 2026

0 days ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Claude Opus 4.6'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 Opus 4.6's cutoff date.

Claude Opus 4.6

—

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Mar 2026

Provider Availability

Claude Opus 4.6 is available from Anthropic. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google.

Claude Opus 4.6

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $25.00/1M

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
Higher CharXiv-R score (77.4% vs 76.5%)
Higher GDPval-AA score (53.5% vs 38.0%)
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (76.0% vs 21.3%)
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 Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Opus 4.6
✓ Preferred
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.6
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.6 or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Opus 4.6 is made by Anthropic and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Opus 4.6 compare to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite in benchmarks?

Claude Opus 4.6 scores Vending-Bench 2: 100.0%, AIME 2025: 99.8%, Tau2 Telecom: 99.3%, Graphwalks parents >128k: 95.4%, Tau2 Retail: 91.9%. 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 Opus 4.6 cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 16.7x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.00/M input and $25.00/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 Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Claude Opus 4.6 supports 1.0M 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 Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($5.00 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Opus 4.6 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Claude Opus 4.6 is developed by Anthropic and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is developed by Google.

Related comparisons