Claude Sonnet 4.5vsGemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| API pricingUSD per 1M tokens · lower wins | ||
Input priceWhat you pay for everything you send the model — your question, plus any documents or earlier conversation you include with it. | $3.00 | $0.30 |
Output priceWhat you pay for the text the model writes back. It is normally the dearer half: producing an answer costs more than reading one. | $15.00 | $2.50 |
Cached input priceA reduced rate for text you send over and over. If every request starts with the same instructions or the same document, the provider keeps a copy ready and charges less to read it again. | $0.30 | $0.03 |
Cheapest inputLowest input rate across third-party providers, excluding the lab itself. The cheapest endpoint may run a quantised build or a shorter context — see "Available from" on the model page. | $3.00Amazon Bedrock | — |
Cheapest outputLowest output rate across third-party providers, excluding the lab itself. May come from a different provider than the cheapest input. | $15.00Amazon Bedrock | — |
| Benchmarks | ||
BullshitBench v2Nonsense detection — Given a confidently-worded but nonsensical prompt, does the AI spot that it makes no sense and push back — instead of playing along and inventing an answer? The score is how often it clearly called out the nonsense. Higher is better. | 79% | 65% |
OSWorld-VerifiedAgentic computer use — Can the AI actually operate a computer — clicking, typing, and using real apps — to finish tasks on its own? Higher is better. | 61.4% | 74% |
| BenchmarksPublished by one model only | ||
SWE-Bench ProAgentic coding — Can the AI fix real bugs in real software? It's handed actual problems from open-source projects and has to write code that genuinely solves them. Higher is better. | — | 54.2% |
SWE-Bench VerifiedCoding — Real coding tasks pulled from open-source projects — the AI has to find and fix actual bugs. A human-checked version of the original SWE-Bench. Higher is better. | 77.2% | — |
Next.js EvalsNext.js coding — Vercel's open eval of how well AI coding agents build and migrate real Next.js apps — measured as the share of tasks the agent completes successfully. Higher is better. | 46% | — |
Terminal-Bench 2.1Agentic terminal coding — Can the AI work in a command-line terminal — running commands and finishing technical setup tasks the way a developer would? Higher is better. | — | 54% |
BU BenchBrowser agent — Can the AI drive a real web browser to finish tasks — clicking, filling forms, and navigating sites the way a person would? Run by Browser Use on their BU Bench task set. Higher is better. | — | 49% |
ARC-AGI-2Abstract reasoning — Puzzle-style tests of abstract reasoning and pattern-finding — the kind of thing people find easy but AIs often struggle with. Higher is better. | 13.6% | — |
GPQA DiamondScience — Graduate-level science questions in biology, physics, and chemistry — hard enough that subject-matter PhDs score around 65%. Higher is better. | 83.4% | — |
GDPval-AA v2Knowledge work — economically valuable knowledge work (v2, re-based Elo) | — | 1140 |
MMMUMultimodal — Tests the AI on understanding images and text together across many college subjects. Higher is better. | 68% | — |
| Overview | ||
| Company | Anthropic | |
| Release date | Sep 29 2025 | Jul 21 2026 |
| Access | Proprietary | Proprietary |
Other comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite are evenly matched across the 2 benchmarks they both report (BullshitBench v2, OSWorld-Verified). Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is cheaper on both input and output: $0.30 vs $3.00 per million input tokens, and $2.50 vs $15.00 per million output tokens. Claude Sonnet 4.5 shipped 295 days before Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, so benchmark comparisons should account for the intervening progress.
Published specifications for these two models are limited — see each model page for the latest details.
On BullshitBench v2, Claude Sonnet 4.5 leads at 79% vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite at 65%. On OSWorld-Verified, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads at 74% vs Claude Sonnet 4.5 at 61.4%.
Claude Sonnet 4.5 was released by Anthropic on Sep 29 2025.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released by Google on Jul 21 2026.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is cheaper on both input and output: $0.30 vs $3.00 per million input tokens, and $2.50 vs $15.00 per million output tokens. Rates are pay-as-you-go API prices verified on August 18, 2026.