Model comparison - Same provider, successor
Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview
Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview are both Google models. On list price, Gemini 3.6 Flash charges 1.5x Gemini 3 Flash Preview's input price ($0.75 vs $0.50 per 1M tokens), and Gemini 3 Flash Preview charges 20% less than Gemini 3.6 Flash for output ($3 vs $3.75 per 1M tokens). Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview both have a 1,048,576-token context window, and both return up to 65,536 output tokens per response. Gemini 3.6 Flash was released on July 21, 2026 and Gemini 3 Flash Preview on December 17, 2025. 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 3.6 Flash | Gemini 3 Flash Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | ||
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.75 | $0.50 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $3.75 | $3 |
| Cache read / 1M | $0.075 | $0.05 |
| Batch input / 1M | $0.375 | $0.25 |
| Batch output / 1M | $1.875 | $1.50 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 | 1,048,576 |
| Max output | 65,536 | 65,536 |
| Release date | ||
| Weights | Closed | Closed |
| API model id | gemini-3.6-flash | gemini-3-flash-preview |
| AI Gateway id | google/gemini-3.6-flash | google/gemini-3-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 3.6 Flash | Gemini 3 Flash Preview |
|---|---|---|
| One agent session1M input tokens and 100K output tokens, no caching. | $1.13 | $0.80 |
| A chat app10,000 requests a day at 2K input and 500 output tokens each. | $33.75$1,012.50 per 30-day month | $25.00$750.00 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. | $0.5175 | $0.395 |
Show the math
Gemini 3.6 Flash
- One agent sessionInput: 1M x $0.75 = $0.75Output: 0.1M x $3.75 = $0.375
- A chat appInput: 20M x $0.75 = $15.00Output: 5M x $3.75 = $18.75
- The same session at a 90% cache hitCached input: 0.9M x $0.075 = $0.0675Uncached input: 0.1M x $0.75 = $0.075Output: 0.1M x $3.75 = $0.375
Gemini 3 Flash Preview
- One agent sessionInput: 1M x $0.50 = $0.50Output: 0.1M x $3 = $0.30
- A chat appInput: 20M x $0.50 = $10.00Output: 5M x $3 = $15.00
- The same session at a 90% cache hitCached input: 0.9M x $0.05 = $0.045Uncached input: 0.1M x $0.50 = $0.05Output: 0.1M x $3 = $0.30
Benchmarks under the same setting
Only boards that list both models under the same run setting appear here, one row per board and setting, with each score exactly as the board shows it. Scores on different boards use different scales and are never combined.
| Board and setting | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Gemini 3 Flash Preview |
|---|---|---|
| AIME 2026 (MathArena)MathArena harness, 4 runs per problemOfficial leaderboard - matharena.ai | 96.67% | 96.67% |
| ProgramBenchmini-SWE-agent, 200 tasksOfficial leaderboard - programbench.com | 0.5% resolved (Almost: 4.0%) | 0% resolved (Almost: 0.0%) |
Set them up in your tools
Step-by-step guides whose official docs list Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemini 3 Flash Preview by model id.
- Use Gemini in ClineLists Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Use Gemini in ContinueLists Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Use Gemini in CursorLists Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Use Gemini in GooseLists Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Use Gemini in Kilo CodeLists Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Use Gemini in OpenCodeLists Gemini 3.6 Flash
- Use Gemini in ZedLists Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview
Model pages
FAQ
How do Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview compare on price?
On list price, Gemini 3.6 Flash charges 1.5x Gemini 3 Flash Preview's input price ($0.75 vs $0.50 per 1M tokens), and Gemini 3 Flash Preview charges 20% less than Gemini 3.6 Flash for output ($3 vs $3.75 per 1M tokens). For one agent session of 1M input and 100K output tokens with no caching, that is $1.13 on Gemini 3.6 Flash and $0.80 on Gemini 3 Flash Preview. Prices are each provider's first-party list rates, verified October 17, 2026 and October 17, 2026.
What are the context windows of Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview?
Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview both have a 1,048,576-token context window, and both return up to 65,536 output tokens per response.
Are Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3 Flash Preview open weights?
Gemini 3.6 Flash is closed-weights and is called through Google's API as gemini-3.6-flash. Gemini 3 Flash Preview is closed-weights and is called through Google's API as gemini-3-flash-preview.
More comparisons
Sources
Gemini 3.6 Flash verified from ai.google.dev; Gemini 3 Flash Preview verified from ai.google.dev. This page is as current as the older of the two: .
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