Gemini 3.6 Flash vs GPT-5.6 Sol: pricing and benchmarks
Gemini 3.6 Flash is 81% cheaper on input tokens ($0.75 vs $4.00 per 1M). Gemini 3.6 Flash is 81% cheaper on output tokens ($3.75 vs $20.00 per 1M). On our document Q&A workload (50,000 questions a month), Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $412.50 a month versus $2,200 for GPT-5.6 Sol, 81% less. GPT-5.6 Sol scores 161.7 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 154.2 for Gemini 3.6 Flash.
Prices verified October 17, 2026.
Which should you choose?
GPT-5.6 Sol scores 161.7 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 154.2 for Gemini 3.6 Flash.
GPT-5.6 Sol scores 72.7% on DeepSWE vs 46.7% for Gemini 3.6 Flash.
GPT-5.6 Sol scores 89.1% on FrontierMath (Tiers 1–3) vs 58.9% for Gemini 3.6 Flash.
Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $1.50 per 1M tokens (3:1 input-to-output mix) vs $8.00 for GPT-5.6 Sol, 81% less.
A trade-off: GPT-5.6 Sol is 7.5 ECI points more capable but costs 5.3x as much as Gemini 3.6 Flash.
Pricing and specs
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | GPT-5.6 Sol | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | |
| API model ID | gemini-3.6-flash | gpt-5.6-sol |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.75 | $4.00 |
| Cached input / 1M tokens | $0.075 | $0.40 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $3.75 | $20.00 |
| Long-context rates | — | $8.00 in / $30.00 out on long-context requests |
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 66K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Batch discount | 50% off | 50% off |
Benchmarks
| Gemini 3.6 Flash | GPT-5.6 Sol | |
|---|---|---|
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 154.2 | 161.7 |
| GPQA Diamond· Science reasoning | 94.1% | 93.5% |
| FrontierMath (Tiers 1–3)· Advanced math | 58.9% | 89.1% |
| SimpleQA Verified· Factual accuracy | 66.2% | 69.7% |
| ARC-AGI-2· Abstract reasoning | 60.4% | 92.5% |
| DeepSWE· Coding | 46.7% | 72.7% |
| APEX-Agents· Agentic work | 46.9% | 51.4% |
Source: Epoch AI, best recorded result per model (CC BY 4.0). A dash means no published score. See all benchmarks
Monthly cost for real workloads
| Workload | Gemini 3.6 Flash | GPT-5.6 Sol | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Support chatbot 100,000 replies a month, ~1,500 input tokens (system prompt + history) and ~400 output tokens each. | $262.50 | $1,400 | Gemini 3.6 Flash 81% cheaper |
Document Q&A (RAG) 50,000 questions a month with ~8,000 tokens of retrieved context and ~600 output tokens each. | $412.50 | $2,200 | Gemini 3.6 Flash 81% cheaper |
Coding agent 10,000 agent steps a month, ~40,000 input tokens each (70% read from the prompt cache) and ~2,000 output tokens. | $186.00 | $992.00 | Gemini 3.6 Flash 81% cheaper |
Estimates use standard list prices and ignore cache-write surcharges. Different tokenizers can count the same text differently, so test with your own prompts.
Gemini 3.6 Flash vs GPT-5.6 Sol cost calculator
- $412.50/mo$0.0083 / request
- GPT-5.6 SolOpenAI$2,200/mo$0.04 / request
Standard-tier list prices. Long-context rates apply automatically where the provider publishes a threshold. Excludes cache-write surcharges, taxes, batch and volume discounts.
Gemini 3.6 Flash pricing notes
Google’s previous-generation Flash model, which replaced Gemini 3.5 Flash in October 2026.
- Introductory price through December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027: $1.50 input, $0.15 cached, $7.50 output per 1M tokens.
- Requests to the retired gemini-3.5-flash model ID are routed to Gemini 3.6 Flash.
- Output price includes thinking tokens.
- Priority inference costs 1.8x the standard rate.
GPT-5.6 Sol pricing notes
OpenAI’s flagship GPT-5.6 model for complex professional work.
- Promotional pricing, available at least through November 21, 2026.
- Cache writes are billed at $5 per 1M tokens.
- Regional (data residency) endpoints add a 10% uplift.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Gemini 3.6 Flash cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol?
- Gemini 3.6 Flash is 81% cheaper on input tokens ($0.75 vs $4.00 per 1M). Gemini 3.6 Flash is 81% cheaper on output tokens ($3.75 vs $20.00 per 1M). On our document Q&A workload (50,000 questions a month), Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $412.50 a month versus $2,200 for GPT-5.6 Sol, 81% less.
- Which is more capable, Gemini 3.6 Flash or GPT-5.6 Sol?
- GPT-5.6 Sol scores 161.7 on the Epoch Capabilities Index vs 154.2 for Gemini 3.6 Flash.
- How much does Gemini 3.6 Flash cost per 1M tokens?
- Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $0.75 per 1M input tokens and $3.75 per 1M output tokens, and $0.075 per 1M cached input tokens on Google’s standard tier.
- How much does GPT-5.6 Sol cost per 1M tokens?
- GPT-5.6 Sol costs $4.00 per 1M input tokens and $20.00 per 1M output tokens, and $0.40 per 1M cached input tokens on OpenAI’s standard tier.
- Which has the larger context window, Gemini 3.6 Flash or GPT-5.6 Sol?
- GPT-5.6 Sol has the larger context window: 1.05M tokens versus 1.05M for Gemini 3.6 Flash.