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Head-to-head comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (Google) and Gemini 3.8 Flash (Google) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 18 October 2026

As of 18 October 2026, Gemini 3.8 Flash holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#5 vs #37); and Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is 1.7× cheaper per output token ($2.50/1M vs $4.13/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite if…

  • API cost matters — $2.50/1M output tokens against $4.13/1M, about 1.7× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.30/1M against $0.825/1M.

Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #5 against #37 (83.5 vs 71.2 points).
  • Arena text is your yardstick — 1496 against 1455.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1528 against 1502.
  • ARC-AGI-2 is your yardstick — 89.2% against 10.3%.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 40.9 against 22.2.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 87.6% against 53.6%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 47.8% against 18.8%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemini 3.8 Flash was listed 2 September 2026, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 21 July 2026.

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and Gemini 3.8 Flash
FieldGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGoogleGemini 3.8 FlashGoogle
ModelCap Index position#37#5
Index score71.283.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$0.825
Output price / 1M tokens$2.50$4.13
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Declared route output cap66K66K
API providers listed22
Weight accessNo linked weightsNo linked weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, File, AudioText, Image, Video, File, Audio
First listed21 July 20262 September 2026
PublisherGoogleGoogle

Evidence: 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards · 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash

Public benchmark boards where Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or Gemini 3.8 Flash has a published result
BoardGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGemini 3.8 FlashLeads
Arena textArena (LMArena)14551450–1459Not reported14961492–1501HighGemini 3.8 Flash
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15021495–150815281521–1535HighGemini 3.8 Flash
LMArena AgentLMArena—3.7%2.6%–4.8%HighOnly one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation10.3%High89.2%HighGemini 3.8 Flash
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation—10.4%HighOnly one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis22.2Reasoning40.9HighGemini 3.8 Flash
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis53.6%Reasoning87.6%HighGemini 3.8 Flash
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis18.8%Reasoning47.8%HighGemini 3.8 Flash
Terminal-Bench 4.0Terminal-Bench (Laude Institute)—19.1%15.7%–22.5%mini-SWE-agent · HighOnly one result

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash: common questions

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite better than Gemini 3.8 Flash?

Gemini 3.8 Flash ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 18 October 2026: #5 against #37. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals do not overlap, but the aggregate Index does not predict performance on every task; compare the relevant benchmark configurations before choosing.

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite cheaper than Gemini 3.8 Flash?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is cheaper on output tokens: $2.50/1M against $4.13/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and $0.825/1M for Gemini 3.8 Flash. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $1.85 for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite versus $3.71 for Gemini 3.8 Flash. Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite costs 50.2% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or Gemini 3.8 Flash?

Both publish a 1M-token context window. OpenRouter catalogue or provider-endpoint declaration. Limits can vary by provider and prompt length; a model-wide maximum has not been independently verified.

Which is better for coding, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or Gemini 3.8 Flash?

Arena coding: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 1502, Gemini 3.8 Flash 1528 — Gemini 3.8 Flash leads. AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 53.6%, Gemini 3.8 Flash 87.6% — Gemini 3.8 Flash leads.

Are Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and Gemini 3.8 Flash open-weight models?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: No linked weights. Gemini 3.8 Flash: No linked weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence. A missing weight link does not identify every API or chat product that offers a model.

Where can I run Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and Gemini 3.8 Flash?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and 2 for Gemini 3.8 Flash, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.8 Flash comparison?

Every figure and ModelCap Index position comes from the same published snapshot dated 18 October 2026. Publication and page updates happen separately; use the snapshot date shown on the page.

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