Model Comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs o3-miniWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and o3-mini across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs o3-mini — which is better?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (by Google) and o3-mini (by OpenAI) 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 3.5 Flash-Lite is roughly 2.3x 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 3.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • cost matters — it's about 2.3x 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

Choose o3-mini if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and o3-minidon'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 3.5 Flash-Lite costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens) is 3.7x cheaper than o3-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens) is 1.8x cheaper than o3-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o3-mini 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 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$2.50
Best providerGoogle
OpenAI
o3-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerAzure
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 o3-mini's 200,000 tokens. o3-mini can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
OpenAI
o3-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite supports multimodal inputs, whereas o3-mini does not.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

o3-mini

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 3.5 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

o3-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21, while o3-mini was released on 2025-01-30.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 18 months newer than o3-mini.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Jul 21, 2026

0 days ago

1.5yr newer
o3-mini

Jan 30, 2025

1.5 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while o3-mini has a cutoff of 2023-09-30.

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 o3-mini (2023-09-30).

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Mar 2026

2.5 yr newer
o3-mini

Sep 2023

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. o3-mini is available from Azure, OpenAI.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M

o3-mini

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
OpenAI

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

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and o3-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
✓ Preferred
o3-mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
OpenAI
o3-mini

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs o3-mini.

Which is better, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or o3-mini?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (Google) and o3-mini (OpenAI) 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 3.5 Flash-Lite compare to o3-mini in benchmarks?

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%. o3-mini scores COLLIE: 98.7%, MATH: 97.9%, IFEval: 93.9%, MGSM: 92.0%, AIME 2024: 87.3%.

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite cheaper than o3-mini?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 3.7x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.30/M input and $2.50/M output via google. o3-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and o3-mini?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M tokens and o3-mini supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and o3-mini?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 200K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $1.10/M), multimodal support (yes vs no). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and o3-mini?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is developed by Google and o3-mini is developed by OpenAI.

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