API cost decision in 10 seconds

🔥Gemini 2.5 Flash vs 🔥GPT-5.5

Pick Gemini 2.5 Flash for lower cost; pick GPT-5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Gemini 2.5 Flash for lower cost; pick GPT-5.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemini 2.5 Flash is estimated at $1.55 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $18.45 (92.2% lower).

Cost-first pickGemini 2.5 Flash
Context-first pickGPT-5.5
Sample savings$18.4592.2%
10x traffic gap$184.5

GPT-5.5 has more context, but Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $18.45 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $184.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cheaper input Gemini 2.5 Flash $0.3 vs $5 / 1M

Gemini 2.5 Flash is $4.7 cheaper per 1M input tokens (94% lower; 16.7x difference).

Cheaper output Gemini 2.5 Flash $2.5 vs $30 / 1M

Gemini 2.5 Flash is $27.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (91.7% lower; 12x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.5 1.05M vs 1.05M

GPT-5.5 has 1.42K more context (1x larger).

Sample workload Gemini 2.5 Flash $1.55 vs $20

Gemini 2.5 Flash is $18.45 cheaper on the standard workload (92.2% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-5.5 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Gemini 2.5 Flash has the lower input price; Gemini 2.5 Flash has the lower output price; GPT-5.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemini 2.5 Flash is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.55 for Gemini 2.5 Flash and $20 for GPT-5.5.

Best Fit

Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GPT-5.5 when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemini 2.5 Flash is estimated at $1.55 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $18.45 (92.2% lower).
  • Gemini 2.5 Flash is $18.45 cheaper on the standard workload (92.2% lower).
  • Gemini 2.5 Flash is $4.7 cheaper per 1M input tokens (94% lower; 16.7x difference).
  • Gemini 2.5 Flash is $27.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (91.7% lower; 12x difference).
  • GPT-5.5 has 1.42K more context (1x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
Feature🔥Gemini 2.5 Flash
(Google)
🔥GPT-5.5
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.3$5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$2.5$30
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$1.55$20
Context Window1.05M1.05M
Release Date2025-06-172026-04-24
Popularity Rank
current rank
#13#19

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGemini 2.5 FlashOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemini 2.5 Flash is estimated at $1.55 vs $20 for GPT-5.5, saving $18.45 (92.2% lower).
High-volume input processingGemini 2.5 FlashLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGemini 2.5 FlashLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.5A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

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Google catalog

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OpenAI catalog

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Gemini 2.5 Flash

Gemini 2.5 Flash is Google's state-of-the-art workhorse model, specifically designed for advanced reasoning, coding, mathematics, and scientific tasks. It includes built-in "thinking" capabilities, enabling it to provide responses with greater...

GPT-5.5

GPT-5.5 is OpenAI’s frontier model designed for complex professional workloads, building on GPT-5.4 with stronger reasoning, higher reliability, and improved token efficiency on hard tasks. It features a 1M+ token...