AI model comparison
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs MiniMax M3
Side by side comparison of Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and MiniMax M3 on pricing, benchmark scores, context window, and more.
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-M3 is a multimodal foundation model from MiniMax.
- Input / 1M
- $0.30
- Output / 1M
- $1.20
- Context
- 1.05M
Comparing image generators? Compare image models
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
MiniMax M3
1.5x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
MiniMax M3
18.7 vs 11.7 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Tie
1.05M vs 1.05M 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 Lite11.7Coding index
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite49.3Agentic index
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite14.3Pricing
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs MiniMax M3 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 | $0.06 |
| 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 | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 66K tokens | 512K tokens |
| Input types | Audio, File, Image, Text, Video | Image, Text, Video |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Medium, Low, Minimal | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Minimal | Not available |
| Release date | July 21, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | 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 Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Inkling Small
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Inkling
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Muse Glimmer 30B
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Command A+
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Hy4 preview
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.7 Flash
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 2.5 Flash
- MiniMax M3 vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017
- MiniMax M3 vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- MiniMax M3 vs GPT-6 Luna
- MiniMax M3 vs Step 5 Preview
- MiniMax M3 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
- MiniMax M3 vs GPT-5.6 Luna
- MiniMax M3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813
- MiniMax M3 vs Qwen3.8 27B
- MiniMax M3 vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
- MiniMax M3 vs Inkling Small
- MiniMax M3 vs Inkling
- MiniMax M3 vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
- MiniMax M3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro 0423
- MiniMax M3 vs Step 3.7 Flash
- MiniMax M3 vs GLM 5.3 FlashX
- MiniMax M3 vs GPT-5.6 Luna Pro
Our take
MiniMax M3 is 1.5x cheaper for a typical chat. MiniMax M3 scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (18.7 vs 11.7). 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 M3 cheaper?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). MiniMax M3 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 M3?
Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 1.05M for MiniMax M3.
Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite smarter than MiniMax M3?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite scores 11.7 and MiniMax M3 scores 18.7, putting MiniMax M3 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 M3 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 M3 answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and MiniMax M3 at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.