Model Comparison

Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 1.3x cheaper per token.

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

Gemini 3 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.

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is roughly 1.3x 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 Gemini 3 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.3x 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

2 benchmarks

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 3 Flash 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, Gemini 3 Flash ($0.50/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($3.00/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3 Flash 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
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$3.00
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

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite 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-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 3 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 3 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 3 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3 Flash was released on 2025-12-17, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 7 months newer than Gemini 3 Flash.

Gemini 3 Flash

Dec 17, 2025

7 months ago

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Jul 21, 2026

0 days ago

7mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3 Flash has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, 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 3 Flash (2025-01-31).

Gemini 3 Flash

Jan 2025

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Mar 2026

1.2 yr newer

Provider Availability

Gemini 3 Flash is available from Google. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite 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-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
Higher CharXiv-R score (80.3% vs 76.5%)
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (22.1% 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 Gemini 3 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3 Flash
✓ Preferred
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.

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

Gemini 3 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3 Flash is made by Google 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 Gemini 3 Flash compare to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite 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-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 3 Flash cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 1.7x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/M input and $3.00/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 3 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 3 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 3 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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