Model comparison - Similar price, same tier
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Qwen3.8-Flash
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is from Google and Qwen3.8-Flash is from Alibaba Cloud (Qwen). On list price, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite charges 2x Qwen3.8-Flash's input price ($0.30 vs $0.15 per 1M tokens), and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite charges 5.3x Qwen3.8-Flash's output price ($2.50 vs $0.47 per 1M tokens). Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a 1,048,576-token context window and Qwen3.8-Flash 1,000,000 tokens; max output is 65,536 and 131,072 tokens per response. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on July 21, 2026 and Qwen3.8-Flash on August 26, 2026. Both are closed-weights models, available only through an API.
Last verified from each provider's pricing page. All sources
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Qwen3.8-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba Cloud (Qwen) | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.30 | $0.15 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $2.50 | $0.47 |
| Cache read / 1M | $0.03 | $0.016 |
| Cache write / 1M | - | $0.20 |
| Batch input / 1M | $0.15 | - |
| Batch output / 1M | $1.25 | - |
| Context window | 1,048,576 | 1,000,000 |
| Max output | 65,536 | 131,072 |
| Release date | ||
| Weights | Closed | Closed |
| API model id | gemini-3.5-flash-lite | qwen3.8-flash |
| AI Gateway id | google/gemini-3.5-flash-lite | alibaba/qwen3.8-flash |
| Last verified |
Prices in USD per 1M tokens at each provider's standard first-party rate. A dash means the provider does not bill that item separately or no primary page states it.
What each costs in practice
The same three workloads every model page uses, worked from each model's standard list rates. Swap in your own token counts with the math on each model's page.
| Workload | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Qwen3.8-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| One agent session1M input tokens and 100K output tokens, no caching. | $0.55 | $0.197 |
| A chat app10,000 requests a day at 2K input and 500 output tokens each. | $18.50$555.00 per 30-day month | $5.35$160.50 per 30-day month |
| The same session at a 90% cache hit90% of the input is read from the prompt cache. The one-time cache write premium is not included. | $0.307 | $0.0764 |
Show the math
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- One agent sessionInput: 1M x $0.30 = $0.30Output: 0.1M x $2.50 = $0.25
- A chat appInput: 20M x $0.30 = $6.00Output: 5M x $2.50 = $12.50
- The same session at a 90% cache hitCached input: 0.9M x $0.03 = $0.027Uncached input: 0.1M x $0.30 = $0.03Output: 0.1M x $2.50 = $0.25
Qwen3.8-Flash
- One agent sessionInput: 1M x $0.15 = $0.15Output: 0.1M x $0.47 = $0.047
- A chat appInput: 20M x $0.15 = $3.00Output: 5M x $0.47 = $2.35
- The same session at a 90% cache hitCached input: 0.9M x $0.016 = $0.0144Uncached input: 0.1M x $0.15 = $0.015Output: 0.1M x $0.47 = $0.047
Benchmarks under the same setting
No board in the benchmark directory lists both Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Qwen3.8-Flash under the same setting, so there is no like-for-like score to show here.
Set them up in your tools
Step-by-step guides whose official docs list Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Qwen3.8-Flash by model id.
- Use Gemini in ClineLists Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- Use Gemini in ContinueLists Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- Use Gemini in GooseLists Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- Use Gemini in Kilo CodeLists Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- Use Gemini in OpenCodeLists Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- Use Qwen in Claude CodeLists Qwen3.8-Flash
- Use Qwen in Codex CLILists Qwen3.8-Flash
- Use Qwen in Kilo CodeLists Qwen3.8-Flash
- Use Qwen in OpenCodeLists Qwen3.8-Flash
Model pages
FAQ
How do Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Qwen3.8-Flash compare on price?
On list price, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite charges 2x Qwen3.8-Flash's input price ($0.30 vs $0.15 per 1M tokens), and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite charges 5.3x Qwen3.8-Flash's output price ($2.50 vs $0.47 per 1M tokens). For one agent session of 1M input and 100K output tokens with no caching, that is $0.55 on Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and $0.197 on Qwen3.8-Flash. Prices are each provider's first-party list rates, verified October 17, 2026 and October 17, 2026.
What are the context windows of Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Qwen3.8-Flash?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a 1,048,576-token context window and Qwen3.8-Flash 1,000,000 tokens; max output is 65,536 and 131,072 tokens per response.
Are Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Qwen3.8-Flash open weights?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is closed-weights and is called through Google's API as gemini-3.5-flash-lite. Qwen3.8-Flash is closed-weights and is called through Alibaba Cloud (Qwen)'s API as qwen3.8-flash.
More comparisons
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteSimilar price, same tier
- Claude Haiku 5.5 vs Qwen3.8-FlashSimilar price, same tier
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs GLM-5.3-FlashSimilar price, same tier
- GPT-6 Luna vs Qwen3.8-FlashSimilar price, same tier
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash vs Qwen3.8-FlashSimilar price, same tier
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs MiniMax-M3Similar price, same tier
- GLM-5.3-Flash vs Qwen3.8-FlashSimilar price, same tier
- Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteSame provider, successor
Sources
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite verified from ai.google.dev; Qwen3.8-Flash verified from alibabacloud.com. This page is as current as the older of the two: .
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing
- https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/model-studio/model-pricing
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models/gemini-3.5-flash-lite
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/changelog
- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/models
- https://modelstudio.console.alibabacloud.com/ap-southeast-1/model/market/detail/qwen3.8-flash
- https://www.qwencloud.com/models/qwen3.8-flash
- https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/model-studio/text-generation-model
- https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/model-studio/context-cache
- https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/model-studio/newly-released-models
Newsletter
Get model price changes as they ship
One email per week. New model releases, price cuts and what they mean for your bill.