Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3.1 Pro
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 and Google's Gemini 3.1 Pro.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Gemini 3.1 Pro
2.5x cheaper input, 2.1x cheaper output
Larger Context
Gemini 3.1 Pro
1.0M vs 200K
Higher Quality
Gemini 3.1 Pro
Score: 57 vs 47
Faster
Gemini 3.1 Pro
120 vs 44 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | ||
| Input / 1M tokens | $5 | $2 | Gemini 3.1 Pro is 60% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25 | $12 | Gemini 3.1 Pro is 52% more expensive |
| Context Window | 200K | 1.0M | 5x difference |
| Max Output | 32K | 66K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Claude Opus 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 47 | 57 | Gemini 3.1 Pro |
| Output Speed | 44 tok/s | 120 tok/s | Gemini 3.1 Pro |
| Time to First Token | 1.90s | 21.32s | Claude Opus 4.6 |
| Value (Quality/$) | 9.3 | 28.6 | 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 Pro | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.013 | $0.0056 | Gemini 3.1 Pro saves $0.0069 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.125 | $0.056 | Gemini 3.1 Pro saves $0.069 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $1.25 | $0.560 | Gemini 3.1 Pro saves $0.690 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $12.50 | $5.60 | Gemini 3.1 Pro saves $6.90 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $125.00 | $56.00 | Gemini 3.1 Pro saves $69.00 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $12500.00 | $5600.00 | Gemini 3.1 Pro saves $6900.00 |
Pros & Cons
Claude Opus 4.6 Strengths
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
Gemini 3.1 Pro Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K)
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Faster output (120 vs 44 tok/s)
- +Higher quality score (57 vs 47)
When to Use Each Model
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 for
- →Projects already integrated with Anthropic's ecosystem
Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro 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 Opus 4.6 or Gemini 3.1 Pro?
For input tokens, Gemini 3.1 Pro is 2.5x cheaper at $2/1M tokens. For output tokens, Gemini 3.1 Pro is 2.1x cheaper at $12/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Claude Opus 4.6 costs $12.50 vs Gemini 3.1 Pro at $5.60.
What's the context window difference?
Claude Opus 4.6 supports 200K context (200,000 tokens), while Gemini 3.1 Pro supports 1.0M (1,048,576 tokens). Gemini 3.1 Pro 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 Pro at 57. Speed: Claude Opus 4.6 generates 44 tok/s vs Gemini 3.1 Pro at 120 tok/s. Time to first token: Claude Opus 4.6 at 1.90s vs Gemini 3.1 Pro at 21.32s.
When should I choose Claude Opus 4.6 over Gemini 3.1 Pro?
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 when you need: Lower latency (faster first token). Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K), Higher max output tokens, Faster output (120 vs 44 tok/s), Higher quality score (57 vs 47).
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 Pro = $56.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Claude Opus 4.6 = $750.00, Gemini 3.1 Pro = $320.00.
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