Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview comes out ahead, 73 to 69 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
- Our pick
GoogleGemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview
73/100- ECI—
- Price$0.25 / $1.50
- Context1.05M
- Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
69/100- ECI145.1
- Price$0.30 / $2.50
- Context1.05M
Add a model
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Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview is our pick
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 73/100 against Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (69). It leads on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceGemini 3.1 Flash Lite PreviewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview $0.563 · Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite $0.85 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextAbout the sameGemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview 1,048,576 · Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 1,048,576 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video · Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview | Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 62 | 53 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 100 | 100 |
| Context window | 20% | 61 | 61 |
| Overall | 100% | 73/100 | 69/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite PreviewGoogle | Gemini 3.5 Flash LiteGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | 145.1 |
| ECI rank | — | #79 of 148 |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | — | 83.3% |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics | — | 26.0% |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | — | 71.1% |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.25 (best) | $0.30 |
| Output | $1.50 (best) | $2.50 |
| Cached input | $0.025 (best) | $0.03 |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.563 (best) | $0.85 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Google API | Official Google API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Max output | 65,536 tokens | 65,536 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | Yes | Yes |
| Video | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yesminimal · low · medium · high | Yesminimal · low · medium · high |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview | gemini-3.5-flash-lite |
| API providers | 10 | 26 (best) |
| Released | Mar 3, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jan 2025 | Mar 2026 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview$5.50
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite$8.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview or Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 73/100 against Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (69). It leads on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview or Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview is cheaper at $0.25 input / $1.50 output per million tokens (official Google API price). Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite costs $0.30 input / $2.50 output per million tokens (official Google API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.563 per million tokens for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview versus $0.85 for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (1.5× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has not been scored yet and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite has an ECI of 145.1.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite share the same 1,048,576-token context window. Maximum output per response: Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview up to 65,536, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite up to 65,536 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video; Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
No. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is the newest, released Jul 21, 2026. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview came out Mar 3, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview Jan 2025, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite Mar 2026.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
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