Model Comparison

Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite — which is better?

Gemini 1.5 Flash (by Google) 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 1.5 Flash is roughly 3.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash if…

  • cost matters — it's about 3.2x cheaper per token

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemini 1.5 Flash 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 1.5 Flash costs less

For input processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.60/1M tokens) is 4.2x cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerGoogle
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

Both models have the same input context window of 1,048,576 tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 1.5 Flash

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.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 1.5 Flash was released on 2024-05-01, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 27 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

May 1, 2024

2.2 years ago

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Jul 21, 2026

0 days ago

2.2yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Flash has a knowledge cutoff of 2023-11-01, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a cutoff of 2026-03-31.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has more recent training data (up to 2026-03-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemini 1.5 Flash (2023-11-01).

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Nov 2023

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Mar 2026

2.3 yr newer

Provider Availability

Gemini 1.5 Flash is available from Google. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M

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

Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Google

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

GoogleGemini 1.5 Flash
GoogleGemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
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Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 1.5 Flash
✓ Preferred
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
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AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.

Which is better, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 1.5 Flash (Google) 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 Gemini 1.5 Flash compare to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite in benchmarks?

Gemini 1.5 Flash scores XSTest: 97.0%, FLEURS: 90.4%, HellaSwag: 86.5%, GSM8k: 86.2%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.5%. 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 Gemini 1.5 Flash cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 1.5 Flash is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.15/M input and $0.60/M output via google. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.30/M input and $2.50/M output via google.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 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 Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Key differences include input pricing ($0.15 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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