Model Comparison

Gemini 3.6 Flash vs MiniMax M2.5Which is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M2.5 is 5.7x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3.6 Flash vs MiniMax M2.5 — which is better?

Gemini 3.6 Flash (by Google) and MiniMax M2.5 (by MiniMax) 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 3.6 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Pro), while MiniMax M2.5 is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, MiniMax M2.5 is roughly 5.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.6 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 3.6 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • 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 MiniMax M2.5 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 5.7x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Gemini 3.6 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Pro), while MiniMax M2.5 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

MiniMax M2.5 costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.6 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than MiniMax M2.5 ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.6 Flash ($7.50/1M tokens) is 6.3x more expensive than MiniMax M2.5 ($1.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.6 Flash is more expensive than MiniMax M2.5.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Input tokens$1.50
Output tokens$7.50
Best providerGoogle
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.5
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerMiniMax
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.6 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to MiniMax M2.5's 1,000,000 tokens. MiniMax M2.5 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.6 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output1,000,000 tokens
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemini 3.6 Flash supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2.5 does not.

Gemini 3.6 Flash can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

MiniMax M2.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.6 Flash is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M2.5 uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

MiniMax M2.5

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.6 Flash was released on 2026-07-21, while MiniMax M2.5 was released on 2026-02-12.

Gemini 3.6 Flash is 5 months newer than MiniMax M2.5.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Jul 21, 2026

4 days ago

5mo newer
MiniMax M2.5

Feb 12, 2026

5 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.6 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while MiniMax M2.5's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3.6 Flash's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without MiniMax M2.5's cutoff date.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Mar 2026

MiniMax M2.5

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.6 Flash is available from Google. MiniMax M2.5 is available from MiniMax.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $1.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $7.50/1M

MiniMax M2.5

minimax logo
MiniMax
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* 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
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (58.7% vs 55.4%)
MiniMax
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.6 Flash and MiniMax M2.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.6 Flash
✓ Preferred
MiniMax M2.5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.5

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.6 Flash vs MiniMax M2.5.

Which is better, Gemini 3.6 Flash or MiniMax M2.5?

Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3.6 Flash is made by Google and MiniMax M2.5 is made by MiniMax. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 3.6 Flash compare to MiniMax M2.5 in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.6 Flash scores CharXiv-R: 89.4%, OSWorld-Verified: 83.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 78.0%, MLE-Bench: 63.9%, SWE-Bench Pro: 58.7%. MiniMax M2.5 scores SWE-Bench Verified: 80.2%, BFCL_v3_MultiTurn: 76.8%, BrowseComp: 76.3%, MEWC: 74.4%, GDPval-MM: 59.0%.

Is Gemini 3.6 Flash cheaper than MiniMax M2.5?

MiniMax M2.5 is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $1.50/M input and $7.50/M output via google. MiniMax M2.5 costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output via minimax.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.6 Flash and MiniMax M2.5?

Gemini 3.6 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and MiniMax M2.5 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 3.6 Flash and MiniMax M2.5?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($1.50 vs $0.30/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3.6 Flash and MiniMax M2.5?

Gemini 3.6 Flash is developed by Google and MiniMax M2.5 is developed by MiniMax.

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