Model Comparison

Gemini 3.6 Flash vs o4-miniWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. o4-mini is 1.6x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3.6 Flash vs o4-mini — which is better?

Gemini 3.6 Flash (by Google) and o4-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.

Gemini 3.6 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (CharXiv-R), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, o4-mini is roughly 1.6x 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 o4-mini if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.6x cheaper per token

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Gemini 3.6 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (CharXiv-R), while o4-mini is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

o4-mini costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.6 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.6 Flash ($7.50/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.6 Flash is more expensive than o4-mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Input tokens$1.50
Output tokens$7.50
Best providerGoogle
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerOpenAI
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 o4-mini's 200,000 tokens. o4-mini can generate longer responses up to 100,000 tokens, while Gemini 3.6 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 3.6 Flash and o4-mini support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

o4-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 3.6 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

o4-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.6 Flash was released on 2026-07-21, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.

Gemini 3.6 Flash is 15 months newer than o4-mini.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Jul 21, 2026

4 days ago

1.3yr newer
o4-mini

Apr 16, 2025

1.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.6 Flash has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while o4-mini has a cutoff of 2024-05-31.

Gemini 3.6 Flash has more recent training data (up to 2026-03-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to o4-mini (2024-05-31).

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Mar 2026

1.8 yr newer
o4-mini

May 2024

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.6 Flash is available from Google. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

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

o4-mini

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)
Higher CharXiv-R score (89.4% vs 72.0%)
OpenAI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
GoogleGemini 3.6 Flash
OpenAIo4-mini
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.6 Flash and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.6 Flash
✓ Preferred
o4-mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
OpenAI
o4-mini

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.6 Flash vs o4-mini.

Which is better, Gemini 3.6 Flash or o4-mini?

Gemini 3.6 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3.6 Flash is made by Google and o4-mini is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 3.6 Flash compare to o4-mini 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%. o4-mini scores AIME 2024: 93.4%, AIME 2025: 92.7%, MathVista: 84.3%, MMMU: 81.6%, GPQA: 81.4%.

Is Gemini 3.6 Flash cheaper than o4-mini?

o4-mini is 1.4x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $1.50/M input and $7.50/M output via google. o4-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.6 Flash and o4-mini?

Gemini 3.6 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and o4-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 3.6 Flash and o4-mini?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 200K), input pricing ($1.50 vs $1.10/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3.6 Flash and o4-mini?

Gemini 3.6 Flash is developed by Google and o4-mini is developed by OpenAI.

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