Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
Gemini 3.6 Flash by Google wins on 10 of 11 benchmarks against Claude Sonnet 4.5 by Anthropic, which leads on 0. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 34.3 on AA Intelligence Index compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 21.2.
Coding: In coding, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 69.2 on AA Coding Index compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 52.1, while Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1305 on Design Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 1184, while Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1312 on Website Arena ELO compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 1202.
Reasoning: In reasoning, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 92.8% on GPQA Diamond compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 82.5%, while Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 30.2 on AA Agentic Index compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 17.5, while both score 73.0% on τ²-Bench Airline.
Context: In context, Gemini 3.6 Flash scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to Claude Sonnet 4.5's 1.0M.
Pricing Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $0.75/1M input and $3.8/1M output. Gemini 3.6 Flash is the more affordable option for API usage.
Verdict
Gemini 3.6 Flash leads across the board in affordability, making it the stronger overall choice in this comparison.
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Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash — FAQ
Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Gemini 3.6 Flash wins on more benchmarks overall (10 vs 0). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Claude Sonnet 4.5 compare to Gemini 3.6 Flash for coding?
SWE-bench Verified data is not available for both models. Check the detailed comparison charts above for other coding-related metrics.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.5 cheaper than Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Yes, Gemini 3.6 Flash is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $0.75/1M input and $3.8/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Output speed data is not available for both models. Check the speed section of the comparison above for available performance data.
What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash comparison cover?
This comparison covers 11 benchmarks including GPQA Diamond, Input Cost, Output Cost, Context Length, AA Intelligence Index, AA Coding Index, AA Agentic Index, Cached Input Cost, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.