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Head-to-head comparison

Gemini 3.8 Flash vs MiniMax M3

Gemini 3.8 Flash (Google) and MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) 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 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, Gemini 3.8 Flash holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#11 vs #25); and MiniMax M3 is 3.1× cheaper per output token ($1.20/1M vs $3.75/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #11 against #25 (76.4 vs 65.3 points).
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 58.7 against 45.4.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 87.6% against 65.2%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 47.8% against 39.0%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemini 3.8 Flash was listed 2 September 2026, MiniMax M3 31 May 2026.

Choose MiniMax M3 if…

  • API cost matters — $1.20/1M output tokens against $3.75/1M, about 3.1× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.30/1M against $0.75/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 11 listed API providers against 2.

Gemini 3.8 Flash vs MiniMax M3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemini 3.8 Flash and MiniMax M3
FieldGemini 3.8 FlashGoogleMiniMax M3MiniMax
ModelCap Index position#11#25
Index score76.465.3
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.75$0.30
Output price / 1M tokens$3.75$1.20
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens66K512K
API providers listed211
Weight accessAPI onlyRestricted license
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, File, AudioText, Image, Video
First listed2 September 202631 May 2026
PublisherGoogleMiniMax

Evidence: 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board · 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemini 3.8 Flash vs MiniMax M3

Public benchmark boards where Gemini 3.8 Flash or MiniMax M3 has a published result
BoardGemini 3.8 FlashMiniMax M3Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—14981491–1504Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena—-3.6%-4.5%–-2.7%Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis58.7intelligence-index45.4intelligence-indexGemini 3.8 Flash
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis87.6%terminal-bench-2.165.2%terminal-bench-2.1Gemini 3.8 Flash
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis—88.9%tau2-bench-telecomOnly one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis47.8%humanitys-last-exam39.0%humanitys-last-examGemini 3.8 Flash

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 3.8 Flash vs MiniMax M3: common questions

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash better than MiniMax M3?

Gemini 3.8 Flash ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #11 against #25. 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.

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash cheaper than MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 is cheaper on output tokens: $1.20/1M against $3.75/1M. Input tokens are $0.75/1M for Gemini 3.8 Flash and $0.30/1M for MiniMax M3. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 3.8 Flash or MiniMax M3?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemini 3.8 Flash or MiniMax M3?

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemini 3.8 Flash 87.6%, MiniMax M3 65.2% — Gemini 3.8 Flash leads.

Are Gemini 3.8 Flash and MiniMax M3 open-weight models?

Gemini 3.8 Flash: API only. MiniMax M3: Restricted license. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemini 3.8 Flash and MiniMax M3?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for Gemini 3.8 Flash and 11 for MiniMax M3, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemini 3.8 Flash vs MiniMax M3 comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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