Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Gemini 3 Pro delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,552 vs 1,548), while Gemini 3 Pro leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (72.4%), while Gemini 3 Pro is more budget-friendly at $5/1M per 1M output tokens, while GPT-5.6 Terra provides faster response streaming (128 tok/s). 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
Google frontier multimodal model with a multi-million-token context window.
OpenAI 5.6 mid tier. Official API $2/$12 per 1M after the Jul 30 2026 price cut.
Currently comparing Gemini 3 Pro vs GPT-5.6 Terra. Alternative family tiers available.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 4 Arena Elo pts
128 tok/s
$5 / 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 | Gemini 3 Pro | GPT-5.6 Terra | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +4 | ||
| Coding Elo | +6 | ||
| LiveBench | +1.5% | ||
| SWE-bench | +2% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +1.6% | ||
| Time to first token | +60 ms | ||
| Output speed | 92 tok/s | 128 tok/s | +36 tok/s |
| Input price | $1.25/1M | +$0.25/1M | |
| Output price | +$1/1M | ||
| Context window | +950k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Gemini 3 Pro is estimated to save $6.25/month ($75/year).
Higher SWE-bench (72.4%).
Lower output list price ($5/1M).
Lower TTFT (160 ms).
Larger window (2M).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Gemini 3 Pro).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Gemini 3 Pro | Higher SWE-bench (72.4%). |
| High-volume chat | Gemini 3 Pro | Lower output list price ($5/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | GPT-5.6 Terra | Lower TTFT (160 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Gemini 3 Pro | Larger window (2M). |
| Screenshots / vision | Gemini 3 Pro | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Gemini 3 Pro). |
Terra is OpenAI’s Sonnet-class invoice. Use it when Sol is too expensive and Luna is too small.
March 2026 Google frontier multimodal with a 2M window. 3.6 Pro is newer; 3 Pro stays as the original 3.x Pro row.
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
