Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash
Gemini 3.8 Flash leads the LLM Stats Score 51.0 to 30.1. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 1.8x cheaper per token.
Google · Google · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemini 3.8 Flash leads the overall LLM Stats Score 51.0 to 30.1, ranking #15 overall.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemini 3.8 Flash wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is roughly 1.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- cost matters — it's about 1.8x cheaper per token
Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash
- overall performance matters — it scores 51.0 and ranks #15 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
6 reported for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite · 13 for Gemini 3.8 Flash
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemini 3.8 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, Terminal-Bench 2.1).
Gemini 3.8 Flash 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, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens) is 2.5x cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash ($0.75/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens) is 1.5x cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash ($3.75/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Gemini 3.8 Flash is more expensive than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 1,048,576 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 65,536 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Gemini 3.8 Flash support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.8 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
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21, while Gemini 3.8 Flash was released on 2026-09-02.
Gemini 3.8 Flash is 1 month newer than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.
Jul 21, 2026
1 months ago
Sep 2, 2026
3 days ago
1mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Both models have the same knowledge cutoff date of 2026-03-31.
They should have similar awareness of historical events and information up to this date.
Mar 2026
Mar 2026
Provider Availability
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Gemini 3.8 Flash is available from Google.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Gemini 3.8 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash.