Model Comparison
Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Grok 4.3Which is better in 2026?
Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok 4.3 is 2.2x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Grok 4.3 — which is better?
Gemini 3.5 Flash (by Google) and Grok 4.3 (by xAI) 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 3.5 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (Finance Agent v2, GDPval-AA), while Grok 4.3 is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Grok 4.3 is roughly 2.2x 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 3.5 Flash if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 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
Choose Grok 4.3 if…
- cost matters — it's about 2.2x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemini 3.5 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (Finance Agent v2, GDPval-AA), while Grok 4.3 is better at 0 benchmarks.
Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than Grok 4.3 ($1.25/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash ($9.00/1M tokens) is 3.6x more expensive than Grok 4.3 ($2.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash is more expensive than Grok 4.3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Grok 4.3's 1,000,000 tokens. Only Gemini 3.5 Flash specifies output context (65,536 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemini 3.5 Flash supports multimodal inputs, whereas Grok 4.3 does not.
Gemini 3.5 Flash can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Grok 4.3
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 was released on 2026-05-19, while Grok 4.3 was released on 2026-05-06.
Gemini 3.5 Flash is 0 month newer than Grok 4.3.
May 19, 2026
1 months ago
1w newerMay 6, 2026
2 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 3.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-01-31, while Grok 4.3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemini 3.5 Flash's training data extends to 2026-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok 4.3's cutoff date.
Jan 2026
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Provider Availability
Gemini 3.5 Flash is available from Google. Grok 4.3 is available from xAI.
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Grok 4.3
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash and Grok 4.3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Grok 4.3.