Claude Opus 4.8 vs Gemini 3.5 Flash
Price, context and benchmark scores side by side — every number from the live model catalogue.
| Claude Opus 4.8anthropic | Gemini 3.5 Flashgoogle | |
|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M tokens | $5.00 | $1.50 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25.00 | $9.00 |
| 1M in + 300K out | $12.50 | $4.20 |
| Context window | 1M | 1.0M |
| Intelligence index | 55.7 | 50.2 |
| Coding index | 74.3 | 70.1 |
| Agentic index | 47.2 | 37.4 |
| Cheapest provider | Azure | |
| Providers serving it | 4 | 2 |
| Weights | Closed | Closed |
| Image input | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning mode | Yes | Yes |
| Released | May 27, 2026 | May 19, 2026 |
Which one to pick
Pick Claude Opus 4.8 if…
- You want the higher general-intelligence score (55.7).
- Code quality is the priority — it leads on the coding index (74.3).
- You are running agent loops — higher agentic index (47.2).
- You want provider redundancy: 4 providers serve it.
Pick Gemini 3.5 Flash if…
- Token cost matters: $9.00 per 1M output vs $25.00.
- You need the bigger context window (1.0M).
FAQ
Is Claude Opus 4.8 better than Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Claude Opus 4.8 scores higher on general intelligence (55.7 vs 50.2), while Gemini 3.5 Flash is 2.8× cheaper per output token ($9.00 vs $25.00). For code, Claude Opus 4.8 leads (74.3 coding index). Gemini 3.5 Flash takes the larger context at 1.0M.
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 4.8 or Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Gemini 3.5 Flash, at $9.00 per 1M output tokens versus $25.00. On a 1M input + 300K output workload that is $4.20 against $12.50.
Can I self-host Claude Opus 4.8 or Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Claude Opus 4.8: closed weights, API only. Gemini 3.5 Flash: closed weights, API only.