Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3 Flash
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Claude Opus 4.6 by Anthropic wins on 9 of 15 benchmarks against Gemini 3 Flash by Google, which leads on 6. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from the AI Value Index.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 1496 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 1473, while Gemini 3 Flash scores 88.6% on MMLU-Pro compared to Claude Opus 4.6's 82.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 91.0% on IFEval compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 89.0%.
Coding: In coding, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 93.5% on HumanEval+ compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 86.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 80.8% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 78.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 72.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 55.0%.
Math: In math, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 92.0% on MATH compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 85.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 97.0% on GSM8K compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 95.0%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Opus 4.6 scores 91.3% on GPQA Diamond compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 72.0%, while Claude Opus 4.6 scores 60.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 30.0%.
Context: In context, Gemini 3 Flash scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to Claude Opus 4.6's 200K.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.0/1M input tokens and $25.0/1M output tokens, while Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/1M input and $3.0/1M output. Gemini 3 Flash is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Claude Opus 4.6 generates output at 68 tok/s compared to Gemini 3 Flash's 200 tok/s, and the time to first token is 1680 ms for Claude Opus 4.6 versus 100 ms for Gemini 3 Flash. Gemini 3 Flash delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing coding and general intelligence and math, Claude Opus 4.6 has the edge. For those who value affordability and speed, Gemini 3 Flash is the stronger choice.
View Individual Model Pages
Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3 Flash — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Opus 4.6 or Gemini 3 Flash?
Claude Opus 4.6 wins on more benchmarks overall (9 vs 6). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Opus 4.6 compare to Gemini 3 Flash for coding?
Claude Opus 4.6 is better for coding, scoring 80.8% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 78.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Claude Opus 4.6 cheaper than Gemini 3 Flash?
Yes, Gemini 3 Flash is cheaper. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.0/1M input and $25.0/1M output tokens. Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/1M input and $3.0/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Opus 4.6 or Gemini 3 Flash?
Gemini 3 Flash is faster, generating output at 200 tok/s compared to 68 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Claude Opus 4.6 vs Gemini 3 Flash comparison cover?
This comparison covers 15 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, IFEval, MATH, SWE-bench Verified, GPQA Diamond, Output Speed, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.