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 1,490), while Claude Opus 4 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (72.5%), 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.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
First Claude 4 Opus generation. Baseline for opus 4 vs opus 5.
Google Jul 21 workhorse. Now shares the 3.7 Flash introductory $0.75/$3.75 rate through Dec 31 2026.
Δ 16 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 Opus 4 | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +16 | ||
| Coding Elo | +12 | ||
| LiveBench | +0.4% | ||
| SWE-bench | +1.7% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +0.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +298 ms | ||
| Output speed | 58 tok/s | 198 tok/s | +140 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.75/1M | +$14.25/1M | |
| Output price | $3.75/1M | +$71.25/1M | |
| Context window | +849k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Gemini 3.6 Flash is estimated to save $1,567.50/month ($18,810/year).
Higher SWE-bench (72.5%).
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 | Claude Opus 4 | Higher SWE-bench (72.5%). |
| 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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