Model Comparison

Command R+ vs Gemini 1.5 FlashWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 1.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash is 1.7x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Command R+ vs Gemini 1.5 Flash — which is better?

Command R+ (by Cohere) and Gemini 1.5 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.

Command R+ outperforms in 1 benchmarks (HellaSwag), while Gemini 1.5 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (GSM8k, MMLU). Gemini 1.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Gemini 1.5 Flash is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 1.5 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Command R+ if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Command R+ outperforms in 1 benchmarks (HellaSwag), while Gemini 1.5 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (GSM8k, MMLU).

Gemini 1.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Fri Jun 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 1.5 Flash costs less

For input processing, Command R+ ($0.25/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Command R+ ($1.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.60/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Command R+ is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jun 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
Cohere
Command R+
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerCohere
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerGoogle
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 1.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Command R+'s 128,000 tokens. Command R+ can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Cohere
Command R+
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Fri Jun 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemini 1.5 Flash supports multimodal inputs, whereas Command R+ does not.

Gemini 1.5 Flash can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Command R+

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Command R+ is licensed under CC BY-NC, while Gemini 1.5 Flash uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Command R+

CC BY-NC

Open weights

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Command R+ was released on 2024-08-30, while Gemini 1.5 Flash was released on 2024-05-01.

Command R+ is 4 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash.

Command R+

Aug 30, 2024

1.8 years ago

4mo newer
Gemini 1.5 Flash

May 1, 2024

2.2 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-11-01, while Command R+'s cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Flash's training data extends to 2023-11-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Command R+'s cutoff date.

Command R+

—

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Nov 2023

Provider Availability

Command R+ is available from Cohere, Bedrock. Gemini 1.5 Flash is available from Google.

Command R+

cohere logo
Cohere
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Gemini 1.5 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Cohere
Has open weights
Higher HellaSwag score (88.6% vs 86.5%)
Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GSM8k score (86.2% vs 70.7%)
Higher MMLU score (78.9% vs 75.7%)
CohereCommand R+
GoogleGemini 1.5 Flash
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Command R+ and Gemini 1.5 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Command R+
✓ Preferred
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Cohere
Command R+
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash

FAQ

Common questions about Command R+ vs Gemini 1.5 Flash.

Which is better, Command R+ or Gemini 1.5 Flash?

Gemini 1.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Command R+ is made by Cohere and Gemini 1.5 Flash is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Command R+ compare to Gemini 1.5 Flash in benchmarks?

Command R+ scores HellaSwag: 88.6%, Winogrande: 85.4%, MMLU: 75.7%, ARC-C: 71.0%, GSM8k: 70.7%. Gemini 1.5 Flash scores XSTest: 97.0%, FLEURS: 90.4%, HellaSwag: 86.5%, GSM8k: 86.2%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.5%.

Is Command R+ cheaper than Gemini 1.5 Flash?

Gemini 1.5 Flash is 1.7x cheaper for input tokens. Command R+ costs $0.25/M input and $1.00/M output via cohere. Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.15/M input and $0.60/M output via google.

What are the context window sizes for Command R+ and Gemini 1.5 Flash?

Command R+ supports 128K tokens and Gemini 1.5 Flash 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 Command R+ and Gemini 1.5 Flash?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.25 vs $0.15/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (CC BY-NC vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Command R+ and Gemini 1.5 Flash?

Command R+ is developed by Cohere and Gemini 1.5 Flash is developed by Google.

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