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LLM Toolkit

Model comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Verified pricing, context windows and real-workload costs for both models — computed from official provider rates as of 2026-08-25.

Cheaper input

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

$0.25 /1M in

Cheaper output

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

$1.50 /1M out

Bigger context

Gemini 3.5 Flash

1M tokens

Head to head

Spec Gemini 3.5 Flash Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Input / 1M tokens $1.50 $0.25
Cached input / 1M — —
Output / 1M tokens $9.00 $1.50
Context window 1M 1M
Provider Google Google
Price verified 2026-08-25 2026-08-25

Monthly cost at three real workloads

Workload Gemini 3.5 Flash Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Winner
Side-project chatbot 30K req · 2,000 in / 500 out · 40% cached $225.00/mo $37.50/mo Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Coding agent 500K req · 12,000 in / 1,500 out · 70% cached $15,750/mo $2,625/mo Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Bulk extraction 2,000K req · 800 in / 120 out · 20% cached $4,560/mo $760.00/mo Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Computed from list prices verified 2026-08-25. Cache savings blend normal and cached input rates by the hit rate; models without published cached rates use the base input price. Adjust every parameter yourself on the API Cost Calculator.

Pick Gemini 3.5 Flash if…

  • You prefer its $1.50 input rate for read-heavy workloads.
  • You need the larger 1M context window.
  • You value its provider ecosystem and tooling.

Pick Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite if…

  • You generate long outputs — $1.50 per 1M output vs $9.00 adds up fast.
  • Its 1M window covers your typical request with headroom.
  • You want cheaper total spend at your exact volumes — verify with the calculator above.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash cheaper than Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is cheaper on input at $0.25 per 1M tokens vs $1.50 — input pricing is 6.0× more expensive. On output, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite wins at $1.50 vs $9.00. At a balanced workload (100K requests, 2K in / 500 out), Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite runs $125.00/mo vs $750.00/mo — a 6.0× difference.

Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: which has the bigger context window?

Gemini 3.5 Flash, with 1M tokens vs 1M — 1.0× more room. Filling Gemini 3.5 Flash's window once costs $1.50 at list price, vs $0.250 for the smaller window.

Should I switch from Gemini 3.5 Flash to Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?

Switch if your bottleneck matches Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite's strengths: its 1M context fits your documents and cheaper output tokens ($1.50 vs $9.00). Stay on Gemini 3.5 Flash if your workload already fits its limits. Test both with your real token counts before committing.

Keep comparing

Or measure your real usage with the AI Token Counter and browse all rates on the Pricing Comparison.