Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite: pricing and benchmarks
Both charge $0.30 per 1M input tokens. Both charge $2.50 per 1M output tokens. On our document Q&A workload both models cost $195.00 a month. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite scores 145.1 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 140.5 for Gemini 2.5 Flash.
Prices verified September 14, 2026.
Which should you choose?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite scores 145.1 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 140.5 for Gemini 2.5 Flash.
Both cost $0.85 per 1M tokens at a 3:1 input-to-output mix.
Pricing and specs
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | ||
| API model ID | gemini-2.5-flash | gemini-3.5-flash-lite |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.30 | $0.30 |
| Cached input / 1M tokens | $0.03 | $0.03 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| Long-context rates | — | — |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 66K tokens | 66K tokens |
| Batch discount | — | 50% off |
Benchmarks
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 140.5 | 145.1 |
| GPQA Diamond· Science reasoning | — | 77.8% |
| FrontierMath (Tiers 1–3)· Advanced math | — | 26.0% |
| SimpleQA Verified· Factual accuracy | — | — |
| ARC-AGI-2· Abstract reasoning | — | 10.3% |
| DeepSWE· Coding | — | — |
| APEX-Agents· Agentic work | 1.8% | — |
Source: Epoch AI, best recorded result per model (CC BY 4.0). A dash means no published score. See all benchmarks
Monthly cost for real workloads
| Workload | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Support chatbot 100,000 replies a month, ~1,500 input tokens (system prompt + history) and ~400 output tokens each. | $145.00 | $145.00 | Same |
Document Q&A (RAG) 50,000 questions a month with ~8,000 tokens of retrieved context and ~600 output tokens each. | $195.00 | $195.00 | Same |
Coding agent 10,000 agent steps a month, ~40,000 input tokens each (70% read from the prompt cache) and ~2,000 output tokens. | $94.40 | $94.40 | Same |
Estimates use standard list prices and ignore cache-write surcharges. Different tokenizers can count the same text differently, so test with your own prompts.
Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite cost calculator
- $195.00/mo$0.0039 / request
- Gemini 2.5 FlashGoogle$195.00/mo$0.0039 / request
Standard-tier list prices. Long-context rates apply automatically where the provider publishes a threshold. Excludes cache-write surcharges, taxes, batch and volume discounts.
Gemini 2.5 Flash pricing notes
Google’s previous-generation Flash model.
- Audio input costs $1.00 per 1M tokens; text, image and video cost $0.30.
- Output price includes thinking tokens.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite pricing notes
Google’s lowest-cost Gemini 3.5 model for high-volume work.
- The same input price applies to text, image, video and audio.
- Output price includes thinking tokens.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Gemini 2.5 Flash cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
- Both charge $0.30 per 1M input tokens. Both charge $2.50 per 1M output tokens. On our document Q&A workload both models cost $195.00 a month.
- Which is more capable, Gemini 2.5 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite scores 145.1 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 140.5 for Gemini 2.5 Flash.
- How much does Gemini 2.5 Flash cost per 1M tokens?
- Gemini 2.5 Flash costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $2.50 per 1M output tokens, and $0.03 per 1M cached input tokens on Google’s standard tier.
- How much does Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite cost per 1M tokens?
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $2.50 per 1M output tokens, and $0.03 per 1M cached input tokens on Google’s standard tier.
- Which has the larger context window, Gemini 2.5 Flash or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
- Both offer a 1.05M-token context window.