AI model comparison
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs MiniMax M2.1
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is a high-efficiency model from Google with upgraded agentic capabilities.
- Input / 1M
- $0.30
- Output / 1M
- $2.50
- Context
- 1.05M
MiniMax
MiniMax M2.1
MiniMax-M2.1 is a lightweight, state-of-the-art large language model optimized for coding, agentic workflows, and modern application development.
- Input / 1M
- $0.30
- Output / 1M
- $1.20
- Context
- 205K
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
MiniMax M2.1
1.5x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
22.2 vs 20.9 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
1.05M vs 205K tokens
Newer release
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
Released July 21, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite22.2Coding index
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite49.3Agentic index
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite14.3Pricing
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs MiniMax M2.1 API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.30 | $0.30 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $2.50 | $1.20 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.03 | $0.03 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | $0.08 | Not available |
| Web searchPer request | $0.014 | Not available |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite$1.85Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite$19$10.90 cachedLong document summary
150K in, 2K out
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite$50$9.50 cachedSpecs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 205K tokens |
| Max output | 66K tokens | 131K tokens |
| Input types | Audio, File, Image, Text, Video | Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Medium, Low, Minimal | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Minimal | Not available |
| Release date | July 21, 2026 | December 23, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Not supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Not supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Not supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
Gemini 3.5 Flash LiteView full model details- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GPT-5.4 Mini
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GPT-5 Mini
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GPT-5.4 Nano
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Grok 4.20
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs MiniMax M2.7
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Grok 4.3
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 4.7
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Kimi K2.5
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GLM 5V Turbo
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GPT-5
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Qwen3.5-27B
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs MiniMax M2.5
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Qwen3.5 397B A17B
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Kimi K2 Thinking
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Qwen3.6 27B
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini
Our take
MiniMax M2.1 is 1.5x cheaper for a typical chat. Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (22.2 vs 20.9). Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite has the larger context window (1.05M vs 205K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or MiniMax M2.1 cheaper?
MiniMax M2.1 is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). MiniMax M2.1 costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $1.20 per 1M output tokens, while Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $2.50 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or MiniMax M2.1?
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 205K for MiniMax M2.1.
Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite smarter than MiniMax M2.1?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite scores 22.2 and MiniMax M2.1 scores 20.9, putting Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and MiniMax M2.1 at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and MiniMax M2.1 answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and MiniMax M2.1 at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.