Gemini 3.5 Flash vs MiniMax M3
Gemini 3.5 Flash and MiniMax M3 are closely matched at 42.4 and 41.2 on the LLM Stats Score. MiniMax M3 is 7.0x cheaper per token.
Google · MiniMax · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemini 3.5 Flash and MiniMax M3 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 42.4 and 41.2.
In the 6 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemini 3.5 Flash wins 5; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, MiniMax M3 is roughly 7.0x 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 (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 5 of 6 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
Choose MiniMax M3
- cost matters — it's about 7.0x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
16 reported for Gemini 3.5 Flash · 35 for MiniMax M3
Gemini 3.5 Flash outperforms in 5 benchmarks (Finance Agent v2, LiveBench, MCP Atlas, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified), while MiniMax M3 is better at 1 benchmark (SWE-Bench Pro).
Gemini 3.5 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 ($1.50/1M tokens) is 5.4x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($0.28/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash ($9.00/1M tokens) is 8.2x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($1.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash is more expensive than MiniMax M3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3.5 Flash accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to MiniMax M3's 524,288 tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while MiniMax M3 is limited to 524,288 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Gemini 3.5 Flash and MiniMax M3 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemini 3.5 Flash
MiniMax M3
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemini 3.5 Flash is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M3 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemini 3.5 Flash was released on 2026-05-19, while MiniMax M3 was released on 2026-06-01.
MiniMax M3 is 0 month newer than Gemini 3.5 Flash.
May 19, 2026
4 months ago
Jun 1, 2026
3 months ago
1w newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 3.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-01-31, while MiniMax M3'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 MiniMax M3's cutoff date.
Jan 2026
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Provider Availability
Gemini 3.5 Flash is available from DeepInfra, Google. MiniMax M3 is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, MiniMax, Novita, Together.
Gemini 3.5 Flash
MiniMax M3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash and MiniMax M3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash vs MiniMax M3.