Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Gemini 3.6 Flash delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,506 vs 1,224), while Gemini 3.6 Flash leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (70.8%), while Gemini 3.6 Flash is more budget-friendly at $3.75/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Previous cheap Claude. Haiku 4.5 is the current $1/$5 SKU.
Google Jul 21 workhorse. Now shares the 3.7 Flash introductory $0.75/$3.75 rate through Dec 31 2026.
Δ 282 Arena Elo pts
198 tok/s
$3.75 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Claude 3.5 Haiku | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +282 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +22.4% | ||
| SWE-bench | +34.6% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +25.5% | ||
| Time to first token | +18 ms | ||
| Output speed | 140 tok/s | 198 tok/s | +58 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.8/1M | $0.75/1M | +$0.05/1M |
| Output price | $3.75/1M | +$0.25/1M | |
| Context window | +849k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Gemini 3.6 Flash is estimated to save $5.50/month ($66/year).
Higher SWE-bench (70.8%).
Lower output list price ($3.75/1M).
Lower TTFT (92 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Gemini 3.6 Flash).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Higher SWE-bench (70.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Lower output list price ($3.75/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Lower TTFT (92 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Larger window (1M). |
| Screenshots / vision | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Gemini 3.6 Flash). |
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
