Gemini 3 Flash Preview vs Gemini 3.5 Flash
Gemini 3 Flash Preview comes out ahead, 73 to 69 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
- Our pick
GoogleGemini 3 Flash Preview
73/100- ECI151.8
- Price$0.50 / $3.00
- Context1.05M
- Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
69/100- ECI154.5
- Price$1.50 / $9.00
- Context1.05M
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Gemini 3 Flash Preview is our pick
Gemini 3 Flash Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 73/100 against Gemini 3.5 Flash (69). It leads on price. Gemini 3.5 Flash wins on capability. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
- CapabilityGemini 3.5 FlashCapabilities Index (ECI): Gemini 3.5 Flash 154.5 · Gemini 3 Flash Preview 151.8
- Lowest priceGemini 3 Flash PreviewGemini 3 Flash Preview $1.13 · Gemini 3.5 Flash $3.38 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextAbout the sameGemini 3 Flash Preview 1,048,576 · Gemini 3.5 Flash 1,048,576 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGemini 3 Flash Preview: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video · Gemini 3.5 Flash: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Gemini 3 Flash Preview | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI) | 50% | 80 | 84 |
| Price | 25% | 47 | 25 |
| Inputs & features | 15% | 100 | 100 |
| Context window | 10% | 61 | 61 |
| Overall | 100% | 73/100 | 69/100 |
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Gemini 3 Flash PreviewGoogle | Gemini 3.5 FlashGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 151.8 | 154.5 (best) |
| ECI rank | #43 of 148 | #33 of 148 (best) |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 89.4% | 92.8% (best) |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1–3Research-level mathematics | 51.2% | 62.8% (best) |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 95.6% | 95.6% |
| SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues | 75.4% | 79.3% (best) |
| SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions | 66.8% (best) | 66.2% |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.50 (best) | $1.50 |
| Output | $3.00 (best) | $9.00 |
| Cached input | $0.05 (best) | $0.15 |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.13 (best) | $3.38 |
| 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-flash-preview | gemini-3.5-flash |
| API providers | 20 | 32 (best) |
| Released | Dec 17, 2025 | May 19, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jan 2025 | Jan 2025 |
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 Flash Preview$11.00
- Gemini 3.5 Flash$33.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemini 3 Flash Preview or Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 73/100 against Gemini 3.5 Flash (69). It leads on price. Gemini 3.5 Flash wins on capability. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3 Flash Preview or Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview is cheaper at $0.50 input / $3.00 output per million tokens (official Google API price). Gemini 3.5 Flash costs $1.50 input / $9.00 output per million tokens (official Google API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.13 per million tokens for Gemini 3 Flash Preview versus $3.38 for Gemini 3.5 Flash (3× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
Gemini 3.5 Flash scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): Gemini 3.5 Flash 154.5 (#33 of 148) and Gemini 3 Flash Preview 151.8 (#43 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (152.5–156.6 vs 150.4–153.7), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — Gemini 3.5 Flash 92.8%, Gemini 3 Flash Preview 89.4%; FrontierMath Tiers 1–3 — Gemini 3.5 Flash 62.8%, Gemini 3 Flash Preview 51.2%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — Gemini 3 Flash Preview 95.6%, Gemini 3.5 Flash 95.6%; SWE-bench Verified — Gemini 3.5 Flash 79.3%, Gemini 3 Flash Preview 75.4%; SimpleQA Verified — Gemini 3 Flash Preview 66.8%, Gemini 3.5 Flash 66.2%.
Which is better for coding?
Gemini 3.5 Flash resolves more real GitHub issues on SWE-bench Verified: Gemini 3.5 Flash 79.3% and Gemini 3 Flash Preview 75.4%. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash share the same 1,048,576-token context window. Maximum output per response: Gemini 3 Flash Preview up to 65,536, Gemini 3.5 Flash up to 65,536 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video; Gemini 3.5 Flash accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
No. Gemini 3 Flash Preview and Gemini 3.5 Flash are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Gemini 3.5 Flash is the newest, released May 19, 2026. Gemini 3 Flash Preview came out Dec 17, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Gemini 3 Flash Preview Jan 2025, Gemini 3.5 Flash Jan 2025.
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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