Model Comparison
GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8BWhich is better in 2026?
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 5.9x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B — which is better?
GPT-3.5 Turbo (by OpenAI) and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (by Google) 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.
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MathVista, MMMU). Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is roughly 5.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output
Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 5.9x 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 Mar 2024
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MathVista, MMMU).
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 7.1x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.30/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-3.5 Turbo is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B can generate longer responses up to 8,192 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT-3.5 Turbo does not.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
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
GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B was released on 2024-03-15.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 12 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.
Mar 21, 2023
3.3 years ago
Mar 15, 2024
2.3 years ago
12mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has a cutoff of 2024-10-01.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has more recent training data (up to 2024-10-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo (2021-09-30).
Sep 2021
Oct 2024
3.1 yr newerProvider Availability
GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is available from Google.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-3.5 Turbo and Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.