Lowest price
Choose Gemini 3.8 Live
Gemini 3.8 Live costs $3.00 / 1M audio tokens, against $32.00 / 1M audio tokens for GPT-Realtime-2.1.
Gemini 3.8 Live vs GPT-Realtime-2.1: price, context and capabilities
Choose Gemini 3.8 Live for the lowest price and the latest release; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.
In short
- Gemini 3.8 Live is 91% cheaper than GPT-Realtime-2.1 at the headline price ($3.00 / 1M audio tokens vs $32.00 / 1M audio tokens).
- Gemini 3.8 Live reads more per request: 131k tokens against 128k.
- Gemini 3.8 Live is the newer model (September 2026, against Jul 6, 2026).
- Only Gemini 3.8 Live offers video input.
- Only GPT-Realtime-2.1 offers reasoning.
Which should you choose?
Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.
Latest release
Choose Gemini 3.8 Live
Gemini 3.8 Live is the newer release (September 2026, against Jul 6, 2026 for GPT-Realtime-2.1).
Specifications side by side
| Gemini 3.8 Live | GPT-Realtime-2.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | |
| Category | Voice and realtime | Voice and realtime |
| Status | Generally available | Generally available |
| Headline price | $3.00 / 1M audio tokens | $32.00 / 1M audio tokens |
| Context window | 131k | 128k |
| Max output | 66k | 32k |
| Released | September 2026 | Jul 6, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | No data | September 2024 |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Capabilities | Audio input, Video input, Tool calling | Audio input, Reasoning, Tool calling |
| API model id | gemini-3.8-live | gpt-realtime-2.1 |
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose Gemini 3.8 Live or GPT-Realtime-2.1?
Choose Gemini 3.8 Live for the lowest price and the latest release; on the other points the two are level or the data is missing.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.8 Live or GPT-Realtime-2.1?
Gemini 3.8 Live is 91% cheaper than GPT-Realtime-2.1 at the headline price ($3.00 / 1M audio tokens vs $32.00 / 1M audio tokens).
Which has the larger context window, Gemini 3.8 Live or GPT-Realtime-2.1?
Gemini 3.8 Live reads more per request: 131k tokens against 128k.
What is the difference between Gemini 3.8 Live and GPT-Realtime-2.1?
Gemini 3.8 Live is made by Google and GPT-Realtime-2.1 by OpenAI. Gemini 3.8 Live is 91% cheaper than GPT-Realtime-2.1 at the headline price ($3.00 / 1M audio tokens vs $32.00 / 1M audio tokens). Gemini 3.8 Live reads more per request: 131k tokens against 128k. Gemini 3.8 Live is the newer model (September 2026, against Jul 6, 2026). Only Gemini 3.8 Live offers video input. Only GPT-Realtime-2.1 offers reasoning.
Which is newer, Gemini 3.8 Live or GPT-Realtime-2.1?
Gemini 3.8 Live was released on September 2026 and GPT-Realtime-2.1 on Jul 6, 2026.