Claude Haiku 4.5 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Haiku 4.5 and Google's Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
4.0x cheaper input, 3.3x cheaper output
Larger Context
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
1.0M vs 200K
Higher Quality
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Score: 34 vs 31
Faster
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
230 vs 93 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | ||
| Input / 1M tokens | $1 | $0.25 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 75% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $5 | $1.5 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 70% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 1.0M | 5x difference |
| Max Output | 8K | 66K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 31 | 34 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
| Output Speed | 93 tok/s | 230 tok/s | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
| Time to First Token | 0.48s | 5.17s | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| Value (Quality/$) | 31.1 | 134.0 | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0025 | $0.0007 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $0.0018 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.025 | $0.0070 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $0.018 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.250 | $0.070 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $0.180 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $2.50 | $0.700 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $1.80 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $25.00 | $7.00 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $18.00 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $2500.00 | $700.00 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $1800.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Haiku 4.5 Strengths
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K)
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Faster output (230 vs 93 tok/s)
- +Higher quality score (34 vs 31)
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Haiku 4.5 for
- →Projects already integrated with Anthropic's ecosystem
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
- →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Claude Haiku 4.5 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
For input tokens, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 4.0x cheaper at $0.25/1M tokens. For output tokens, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 3.3x cheaper at $1.5/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Haiku 4.5 costs $2.50 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at $0.700.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Haiku 4.5 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M (1,048,576 tokens). Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite can handle 5x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: Claude Haiku 4.5 scores 31 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at 34. Speed: Claude Haiku 4.5 generates 93 tok/s vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at 230 tok/s. Time to first token: Claude Haiku 4.5 at 0.48s vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at 5.17s.
When should I choose Claude Haiku 4.5 over Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
Choose Claude Haiku 4.5 when you need: Lower latency (faster first token). Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K), Higher max output tokens, Faster output (230 vs 93 tok/s), Higher quality score (34 vs 31).
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Claude Haiku 4.5 = $25.00, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite = $7.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Haiku 4.5 = $150.00, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite = $40.00.
Related Comparisons
Claude Haiku 4.5 vs GPT-5.4
$1 vs $2.5 per 1M input
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-5.4
$0.25 vs $2.5 per 1M input
Claude Haiku 4.5 vs GPT-5.4 Mini
$1 vs $0.75 per 1M input
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-5.4 Mini
$0.25 vs $0.75 per 1M input
Claude Haiku 4.5 vs GPT-5.4 Nano
$1 vs $0.2 per 1M input
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-5.4 Nano
$0.25 vs $0.2 per 1M input