Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Google's two Flash-Lite generations, where the newer one costs more on output. Both list prices from the makers’ own pages, and what three everyday jobs cost on each.
US dollars, standard rate, shortest context band. Price only: this page does not rank quality.
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- $1.90
- Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
- $1.35
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, per M tokens
- $0.30 / $2.50
- Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, per M tokens
- $0.25 / $1.50
3,000 tokens in and 400 out each, at list price.
Per million tokens, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.30 in and $2.50 out; Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $0.25 in and $1.50 out. 1,000 support replies cost $1.90 on Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and $1.35 on Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, so Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs 41% more. Both read up to 1.05M tokens at once.
Side by side
Each maker’s published rate for its standard tier. Cached input is what a repeated prompt prefix costs once the provider has stored it.
| Fact | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | ||
| Tier | Small and fast | Small and fast |
| Input, per M tokens | $0.30 | $0.25 |
| Output, per M tokens | $2.50 | $1.50 |
| Cached input | $0.03 | $0.025 |
| Context window | 1.05M | 1.05M |
| Released | 21 Jul 2026 | 7 May 2026 |
| Weights | Closed | Closed |
What a job costs on each
1,000 runs of each job at the two list prices. The gap moves from job to job because the models price input, output and cached context differently.
| Job | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support reply3,000 in, 400 out. | $1.90 | $1.35 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, 29% less |
| Document summary25,000 in, 1,000 out. | $10.00 | $7.75 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, 23% less |
| Agent task80,000 in (70,000 cached), 3,000 out. | $12.60 | $8.75 | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite, 31% less |
The token counts are ours, chosen to look like real work; the prices are the makers’. A model with no published cache price bills the agent task’s repeated context at its full input rate.
The small print
What each base rate leaves out, from the makers’ own pages: surcharges, discounts, promotions and cache pricing.
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- Same price for text, image, video and audio input. Batch 50% off. Cache storage $1.00 per MTok per hour. Google’s pricing page
- Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
- Audio input $0.50 (cached $0.05). Batch 50% off. Cache storage $1.00 per MTok per hour. Google’s pricing page
Other comparisons
Every head to head on the list that involves Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.
Run Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite for a quarter of list price
AIGROW API credit covers Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and is metered at the list prices above: $25 buys $100 of usage.
Prices checked 22 September 2026