Claude Opus 5 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash
Claude Opus 5 leads the LLM Stats Score 56.2 to 43.6. Gemini 3.5 Flash is 3.0x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · Google · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Opus 5 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 56.2 to 43.6, ranking #2 overall.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Claude Opus 5 wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Gemini 3.5 Flash is roughly 3.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 3.5 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 Opus 5
- overall performance matters — it scores 56.2 and ranks #2 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 3 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash
- cost matters — it's about 3.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
12 reported for Claude Opus 5 · 16 for Gemini 3.5 Flash
Claude Opus 5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, Humanity's Last Exam, Legal Agent Benchmark), while Gemini 3.5 Flash is better at 0 benchmarks.
Claude Opus 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Opus 5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 3.3x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Opus 5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 2.8x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash ($9.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Opus 5 is more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Claude Opus 5's 1,000,000 tokens. Claude Opus 5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.5 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Opus 5 and Gemini 3.5 Flash support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Opus 5
Gemini 3.5 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 5 was released on 2026-07-24, while Gemini 3.5 Flash was released on 2026-05-19.
Claude Opus 5 is 2 months newer than Gemini 3.5 Flash.
Jul 24, 2026
1 months ago
2mo newerMay 19, 2026
3 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 3.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-01-31, while Claude Opus 5's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemini 3.5 Flash's training data extends to 2026-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude Opus 5's cutoff date.
—
Jan 2026
Provider Availability
Claude Opus 5 is available from Anthropic. Gemini 3.5 Flash is available from Google.
Claude Opus 5
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 5 and Gemini 3.5 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Opus 5 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash.