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Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

At 10,000 requests a month of 5,000 input and 500 output tokens, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs about $20 a month and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite about $28, so Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is 27% cheaper. Both have a context window of 1,048,576 tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has no announced retirement. Google lists May 7, 2027 as the earliest possible retirement date for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, and says it will send the exact date later. Google names Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite as the replacement. Prices checked 2026-10-21.

Prices are USD per 1M tokens, standard tier, checked 2026-10-21. Monthly cost uses the workload below.

  • Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite Google

    Input per 1M
    $0.30
    Output per 1M
    $2.50
    Monthly cost
    $28
    $2.75 per 1,000 requests
    Context
    1,048,576
    Retirement
    Active
    No retirement date listed
    API ID:
    gemini-3.5-flash-lite
    Max output:
    65,536
    Inputs:
    Text, Images, Video, Audio, PDF
    Released:
    Jul 21, 2026
    Knowledge cutoff:
    Not published

  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Google

    Input per 1M
    $0.25
    Output per 1M
    $1.50
    Monthly cost
    $20Cheapest
    $2.00 per 1,000 requests
    Context
    1,048,576
    Retirement
    Earliest retirement May 7, 2027
    Google says this is the earliest possible date and it sends the exact date later
    API ID:
    gemini-3.1-flash-lite
    Max output:
    65,536
    Inputs:
    Text, Images, Video, Audio, PDF
    Released:
    May 7, 2026
    Knowledge cutoff:
    Not published
Compare with other models

Monthly cost estimate

Example sizes are our round numbers. Set your own below.

  • Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite $28 a month

    $2.75 per 1,000 requests

  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Cheapest $20 a month

    $2.00 per 1,000 requests

List prices checked 2026-10-21, standard tier, no caching, no batch discount. Claude 4.7 and later count about 30% more tokens for the same text, so their rows include that. Long-prompt prices apply where the vendor sets them.

The facts side by side

Each model page lists every fact with its source: Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.

Prices are USD per 1M tokens, standard tier. Monthly cost is 10,000 requests of 5,000 input and 500 output tokens. Checked 2026-10-21 on each vendor's own pages.

  • Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite Google

    Input per 1M
    $0.30
    Output per 1M
    $2.50
    Monthly cost
    $28
    $2.75 per 1,000 requests
    Context
    1,048,576
    Retirement
    Active
    No retirement date listed
    API ID:
    gemini-3.5-flash-lite
    Max output:
    65,536
    Inputs:
    Text, Images, Video, Audio, PDF
    Released:
    Jul 21, 2026
    Knowledge cutoff:
    Not published

  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Google

    Input per 1M
    $0.25
    Output per 1M
    $1.50
    Monthly cost
    $20Cheapest
    $2.00 per 1,000 requests
    Context
    1,048,576
    Retirement
    Earliest retirement May 7, 2027
    Google says this is the earliest possible date and it sends the exact date later
    API ID:
    gemini-3.1-flash-lite
    Max output:
    65,536
    Inputs:
    Text, Images, Video, Audio, PDF
    Released:
    May 7, 2026
    Knowledge cutoff:
    Not published

Benchmark scores side by side

Independent scores from Epoch AI, which scores every vendor's models the same way. Ranks compare each model with the others on our AI models page.

Benchmark Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteGemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Epoch Capabilities Index One score that combines many benchmarks, such as math, science, and coding tests, into a single scale. Epoch sets Claude 3.5 Sonnet at 130 and GPT-5 at 150. 144.91 Rank 16 of 17 models here 144.26 Rank 17 of 17 models here
GPQA Diamond 198 hard multiple-choice questions in biology, chemistry, and physics, written by PhD-level experts. Guessing scores 25%. We show the highest score for each model across the reasoning settings Epoch ran. 83.3% Rank 15 of 16 models here 81.8% Rank 16 of 16 models here

Scores are Epoch AI's, not ours. Source: Epoch AI, Capabilities and benchmarking, from its public data download, checked 2026-10-21. Used under CC BY 4.0. We drew the charts. A benchmark is one test, so run your own inputs before you choose.

What each vendor says

"Our fastest, most cost-effective 3.5 model for high-throughput execution."
"Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is a low-latency, cost-effective multimodal model optimized for high-frequency, lightweight tasks."

Want a different pair? Use the AI model compare tool, or get a shortlist for your job from the AI model picker. For older models with shutdown dates, see our AI model retirement dates calendar.

Questions clients ask

Short answers, no sales language. If yours isn't here, ask an engineer directly.

Ask us anything
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite lists $0.30 in and $2.50 out per 1M tokens. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite lists $0.25 in and $1.50 out per 1M tokens. At 10,000 requests a month of 5,000 input and 500 output tokens, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs about $28 a month and Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite about $20. Checked 2026-10-21.

Which has the larger context window?

Neither. Both list 1,048,576 tokens.

Is either model being retired?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has no announced retirement. Google lists May 7, 2027 as the earliest possible retirement date for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, and says it will send the exact date later. Google names Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite as the replacement.

Which should I use?

Run 20 to 50 of your real inputs through both and compare the answers and the token counts. Price per token is only half of the cost. The other half is how many tokens each model uses for your task.

Want both tested on your data?

Send us 20 real inputs. An engineer runs them through both models and replies with the results. We bill hourly or by milestone.

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