API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Claude 3 Haiku

Pick Claude 3 Haiku for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Claude 3 Haiku for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3 Haiku is estimated at $0.88 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.12 (12.5% lower).

Cost-first pickClaude 3 Haiku
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Sample savings$0.1212.5%
10x traffic gap$1.25

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has more context, but Claude 3 Haiku saves $0.12 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Claude 3 Haiku stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGemini 3.1 Flash LiteClaude 3 Haiku
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputClaude 3 Haiku$2$1.88
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputClaude 3 Haiku$1.75$1.5
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputClaude 3 Haiku$7.75$6.5
Cheaper input Tie $0.25 vs $0.25 / 1M

Both models report the same input price at $0.25 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Claude 3 Haiku $1.5 vs $1.25 / 1M

Claude 3 Haiku is $0.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite 1.05M vs 200K

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 848.58K more context (5.24x larger).

Sample workload Claude 3 Haiku $1 vs $0.88

Claude 3 Haiku is $0.12 cheaper on the standard workload (12.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Calculating… Estimated API cost
Claude 3 Haiku 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

both models tie on input price; Claude 3 Haiku has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Claude 3 Haiku is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and $0.88 for Claude 3 Haiku.

Best Fit

Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Claude 3 Haiku when you care most about lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3 Haiku is estimated at $0.88 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.12 (12.5% lower).
  • Claude 3 Haiku is $0.12 cheaper on the standard workload (12.5% lower).
  • Both models report the same input price at $0.25 per 1M tokens.
  • Claude 3 Haiku is $0.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 848.58K more context (5.24x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
(Google)		Claude 3 Haiku
(Anthropic)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.25$0.25
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1.5$1.25
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$1$0.88
Context Window1.05M200K
Release Date
Popularity#22#150

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionClaude 3 HaikuOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Claude 3 Haiku is estimated at $0.88 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.12 (12.5% lower).
High-volume input processingTieLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsClaude 3 HaikuLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.1 Flash LiteA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Google catalog

Review all tracked Google models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Anthropic catalog

Check other Anthropic models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Anthropic models
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is Google’s GA high-efficiency multimodal model optimized for low-latency, high-volume workloads. It supports text, image, video, audio, and PDF inputs, and is designed for lightweight agentic...

Claude 3 Haiku

Claude 3 Haiku is Anthropic's fastest and most compact model for near-instant responsiveness. Quick and accurate targeted performance. See the launch announcement and benchmark results [here](https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-3-haiku) #multimodal