Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 and Google's Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
20.0x cheaper input, 16.7x cheaper output
Larger Context
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
1.0M vs 200K
Higher Quality
Claude Opus 4.6
Score: 47 vs 34
Faster
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
230 vs 44 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | ||
| Input / 1M tokens | $5 | $0.25 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 95% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25 | $1.5 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 94% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 1.0M | 5x difference |
| Max Output | 32K | 66K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 47 | 34 | Claude Opus 4.6 |
| Output Speed | 44 tok/s | 230 tok/s | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
| Time to First Token | 1.90s | 5.17s | Claude Opus 4.6 |
| Value (Quality/$) | 9.3 | 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 Opus 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.013 | $0.0007 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $0.012 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.125 | $0.0070 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $0.118 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $1.25 | $0.070 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $1.18 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $12.50 | $0.700 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $11.80 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $125.00 | $7.00 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $118.00 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $12500.00 | $700.00 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite saves $11800.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Opus 4.6 Strengths
- +Higher quality score (47 vs 34)
- +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 44 tok/s)
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 for
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
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
- →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 4.6 or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
For input tokens, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 20.0x cheaper at $0.25/1M tokens. For output tokens, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 16.7x cheaper at $1.5/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Opus 4.6 costs $12.50 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at $0.700.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Opus 4.6 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 Opus 4.6 scores 47 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at 34. Speed: Claude Opus 4.6 generates 44 tok/s vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at 230 tok/s. Time to first token: Claude Opus 4.6 at 1.90s vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite at 5.17s.
When should I choose Claude Opus 4.6 over Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 when you need: Higher quality score (47 vs 34), 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 44 tok/s).
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Claude Opus 4.6 = $125.00, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite = $7.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Opus 4.6 = $750.00, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite = $40.00.
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