High-volume, cost-sensitive work
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs 34% less on a typical mix of three input tokens for every output token ($0.56 against $0.85 per million tokens).
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite: price, context and capabilities
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation and reused prompts and documents (RAG, agents). Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite for the latest release.
In short
- Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 34% cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite at the headline price ($0.5625 / 1M tokens vs $0.85 / 1M tokens).
- Both accept 1.05M tokens per request.
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is the newer model (July 2026, against May 2026).
Which should you choose?
Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.
Writing and code generation
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite charges $1.50 per million output tokens, against $2.50 for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite. Output dominates the bill when answers are long.
Reused prompts and documents (RAG, agents)
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite charges $0.03 per million cached input tokens, against $0.03 for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.
Latest release
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is the newer release (July 2026, against May 2026 for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite).
Monthly cost at three volumes
| Volume | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype: 1M input, 250K output tokens | $0.63 | $0.93 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, $0.30 less |
| Production: 20M input, 5M output tokens | $12.50 | $18.50 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, $6.00 less |
| Scale: 500M input, 100M output tokens | $275.00 | $400.00 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, $125.00 less |
Standard rates, without caching or batch discounts. Volumes are per month.
Specifications side by side
| Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | ||
| Category | Language models | Language models |
| Status | Legacy | Generally available |
| Headline price | $0.5625 / 1M tokens | $0.85 / 1M tokens |
| Input | $0.25 / 1M tokens | $0.30 / 1M tokens |
| Output | $1.50 / 1M tokens | $2.50 / 1M tokens |
| Cached input | $0.025 / 1M tokens | $0.03 / 1M tokens |
| Context window | 1.05M | 1.05M |
| Max output | 66k | 66k |
| Released | May 2026 | July 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | No data | No data |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Capabilities | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch API | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching, Batch API |
| API model id | gemini-3.1-flash-lite | gemini-3.5-flash-lite |
Benchmarks side by side
Leader in bold.
| Benchmark | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence Index | No data | 22.2 |
| SciCode | No data | 41.3% |
| GPQA Diamond | No data | 83.8% |
| Humanity's Last Exam | No data | 18.8% |
| MMMU-Pro (visual reasoning) | No data | 79% |
| Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR) | No data | 76% |
Independent evaluations by Artificial Analysis, run the same way for every model, at the reasoning setting shown. Percentages unless marked as an index.
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite for high-volume, cost-sensitive work, writing and code generation and reused prompts and documents (RAG, agents). Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite for the latest release.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 34% cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite at the headline price ($0.5625 / 1M tokens vs $0.85 / 1M tokens).
Which has the larger context window, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
Both accept 1.05M tokens per request.
What is the difference between Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is made by Google and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite by Google. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 34% cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite at the headline price ($0.5625 / 1M tokens vs $0.85 / 1M tokens). Both accept 1.05M tokens per request. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is the newer model (July 2026, against May 2026).
How much do Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite cost per month?
At 20 million input and 5 million output tokens a month, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $12.50 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $18.50, at standard rates.
Which is newer, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on July 2026 and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite on May 2026.