Model Comparison

Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 FlashWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash is 3.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash — which is better?

Gemini 3 Flash (by Google) and Gemini 3.5 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.

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam), while Gemini 3.5 Flash is better at 10 benchmarks (ARC-AGI v2, CharXiv-R, Finance Agent v2, Legal Agent Benchmark, LiveBench, MCP Atlas, MMMU-Pro, MRCR v2 (8-needle), Terminal-Bench 2.0, Toolathlon). Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemini 3 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.

Choose Gemini 3 Flash if…

  • cost matters — it's about 3.0x cheaper per token

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 10 of 11 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2026
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

11 benchmarks

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam), while Gemini 3.5 Flash is better at 10 benchmarks (ARC-AGI v2, CharXiv-R, Finance Agent v2, Legal Agent Benchmark, LiveBench, MCP Atlas, MMMU-Pro, MRCR v2 (8-needle), Terminal-Bench 2.0, Toolathlon).

Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 3 Flash costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($0.50/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($3.00/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash ($9.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash is more expensive than Gemini 3 Flash.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$3.00
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input tokens$1.50
Output tokens$9.00
Best providerGoogle
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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 1,000,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 3 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 3.5 Flash

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 3 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3 Flash was released on 2025-12-17, while Gemini 3.5 Flash was released on 2026-05-19.

Gemini 3.5 Flash is 5 months newer than Gemini 3 Flash.

Gemini 3 Flash

Dec 17, 2025

6 months ago

Gemini 3.5 Flash

May 19, 2026

1 months ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3 Flash has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while Gemini 3.5 Flash has a cutoff of 2026-01-31.

Gemini 3.5 Flash has more recent training data (up to 2026-01-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemini 3 Flash (2025-01-31).

Gemini 3 Flash

Jan 2025

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Jan 2026

1 yr newer

Provider Availability

Gemini 3 Flash is available from Google. Gemini 3.5 Flash is available from Google.

Gemini 3 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M

Gemini 3.5 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $1.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $9.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (43.5% vs 40.2%)
Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher ARC-AGI v2 score (72.1% vs 33.6%)
Higher CharXiv-R score (84.2% vs 80.3%)
Higher Finance Agent v2 score (57.9% vs 42.5%)
Higher Legal Agent Benchmark score (0.8% vs 0.0%)
Higher LiveBench score (75.0% vs 72.4%)
Higher MCP Atlas score (83.6% vs 57.4%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (83.6% vs 81.2%)
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (26.6% vs 22.1%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (76.2% vs 47.6%)
Higher Toolathlon score (56.5% vs 49.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash.

Which is better, Gemini 3 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash is made by Google and Gemini 3.5 Flash is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 3 Flash compare to Gemini 3.5 Flash in benchmarks?

Gemini 3 Flash scores Vending-Bench 2: 100.0%, AIME 2025: 99.7%, Global PIQA: 92.8%, MMMLU: 91.8%, GPQA: 90.4%. Gemini 3.5 Flash scores CharXiv-R: 84.2%, MCP Atlas: 83.6%, MMMU-Pro: 83.6%, OSWorld-Verified: 78.4%, Terminal-Bench 2.0: 76.2%.

Is Gemini 3 Flash cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Gemini 3 Flash is 3.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/M input and $3.00/M output via google. Gemini 3.5 Flash costs $1.50/M input and $9.00/M output via google.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Gemini 3 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Gemini 3.5 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 Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.50 vs $1.50/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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