Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash: API cost
Standard, cached and batch API prices for Claude Sonnet 5.5 (Anthropic) and Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google), and what each costs for your usage.
Gemini 3.5 Flash is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 5.5 at standard rates, with 25% cheaper input and 10% cheaper output. Cached input is the exception: Claude Sonnet 5.5’s is 33% cheaper, so heavy caching narrows the gap and can reverse it.
- Input $60.00
- Cached input $3.00
- Output $90.00
- Input $45.00
- Cached input $4.50
- Output $81.00
Show as a table
| Output tokens | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | $2.00 | $1.50 |
| 250 | $4.50 | $3.75 |
| 500 | $7.00 | $6.00 |
| 750 | $9.50 | $8.25 |
| 1,000 | $12.00 | $10.50 |
| Token type | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Gemini 3.5 Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input | $2 | $1.50 | Gemini 3.5 Flash is 25% cheaper |
| Cached input | $0.10 | $0.15 | Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 33% cheaper |
| Output | $10 | $9 | Gemini 3.5 Flash is 10% cheaper |
| Batch input | $1 | $0.75 | Gemini 3.5 Flash is 25% cheaper |
| Batch cached input | $0.05 | $0.075 | Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 33% cheaper |
| Batch output | $5 | $4.50 | Gemini 3.5 Flash is 10% cheaper |
| Workload | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
Support chatbot 2,000 in / 300 out tokens,
1,000 requests a day, 50% cached | $153.00 | $130.50 |
Document summaries 10,000 in / 800 out tokens,
200 requests a day | $168.00 | $133.20 |
Tagging / classifying 400 in / 20 out tokens,
20,000 requests a day | $600.00 | $468.00 |
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- Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
- Claude Sonnet 5.5 vs Gemini 2.5 Pro
- Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash
- Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Or see Claude Sonnet 5.5 pricing, Gemini 3.5 Flash pricing, or compare any two models.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Sonnet 5.5 cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Gemini 3.5 Flash is cheaper than Claude Sonnet 5.5 at standard rates, with 25% cheaper input and 10% cheaper output. Cached input is the exception: Claude Sonnet 5.5’s is 33% cheaper, so heavy caching narrows the gap and can reverse it. Based on standard API rates last checked on Oct 10, 2026.
How much do Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Gemini 3.5 Flash cost per million tokens?
Claude Sonnet 5.5: $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash: $1.50 input and $9 output. These are standard rates in USD, before tax, from each provider’s own pricing page.
Which is cheaper with the Batch API?
Claude Sonnet 5.5’s batch rates are $1 input and $5 output per million tokens (50% off); Gemini 3.5 Flash’s batch rates are $0.75 input and $4.50 output per million tokens (50% off).
Does prompt caching change the comparison?
Claude Sonnet 5.5 charges $0.10 per million cached input tokens, against $2 for normal input; Gemini 3.5 Flash charges $0.15 per million cached input tokens, against $1.50 for normal input. Cache write and storage charges are extra and aren’t included here.