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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

MiniCPM5-1B vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite comes out ahead, 84 to 31 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. OpenBMB

    MiniCPM5-1B

    Released May 19, 2026

    31/100
    • ECI—
    • Price—
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove MiniCPM5-1B
  2. Our pick

    Google

    Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

    Released May 7, 2026

    84/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.25 / $1.50
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is our pick

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 84/100 against MiniCPM5-1B (31). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. 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 LiteGemini 3.1 Flash Lite $0.563 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · MiniCPM5-1B unpriced
  • Longest contextGemini 3.1 Flash LiteGemini 3.1 Flash Lite 1,048,576 · MiniCPM5-1B 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemini 3.1 Flash LiteMiniCPM5-1B: Text · Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video
  • Self-hostingMiniCPM5-1BPublishes downloadable weights (apache-2.0)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightMiniCPM5-1BGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Inputs & features60%35100
Context window40%2461
Overall100%31/10084/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

MiniCPM5-1B vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite specifications side by side
SpecificationMiniCPM5-1BOpenBMBGemini 3.1 Flash LiteGoogle
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input—$0.25
Output—$1.50
Cached input—$0.025
Blended (3:1)—$0.563
Long-context rate—Same rate
Price source—Official Google API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens1,048,576 tokens (best)
Max output131,072 tokens (best)65,536 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoYes
AudioNoYes
VideoNoYes
ReasoningYesYesminimal · low · medium · high
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenapache-2.0Proprietary
API model ID—gemini-3.1-flash-lite
API providers—23
ReleasedMay 19, 2026May 7, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—Jan 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • MiniCPM5-1B—
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite$5.50
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: MiniCPM5-1B or Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite?

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 84/100 against MiniCPM5-1B (31). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, MiniCPM5-1B or Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite?

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is cheaper at $0.25 input / $1.50 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 versus . MiniCPM5-1B has no published per-token price.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. MiniCPM5-1B has not been scored yet and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for MiniCPM5-1B and Gemini 3.1 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 has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 131,072 for MiniCPM5-1B. Maximum output per response: MiniCPM5-1B up to 131,072, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite up to 65,536 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

MiniCPM5-1B accepts text; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

MiniCPM5-1B publishes its weights (apache-2.0) and can be self-hosted; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is proprietary.

Which is newer?

MiniCPM5-1B is the newest, released May 19, 2026. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite came out May 7, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite 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.

05 — Keep comparing

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