API cost decision in 10 seconds

New🔥Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs GPT-4o-mini

Pick GPT-4o-mini 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 GPT-4o-mini 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, GPT-4o-mini is estimated at $0.45 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.55 (55% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-4o-mini
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Sample savings$0.5555%
10x traffic gap$5.5

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has more context, but GPT-4o-mini saves $0.55 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $5.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GPT-4o-mini stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGemini 3.1 Flash LiteGPT-4o-mini
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGPT-4o-mini$2$1.05
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGPT-4o-mini$1.75$0.75
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGPT-4o-mini$7.75$3.15
Cheaper input GPT-4o-mini $0.25 vs $0.15 / 1M

GPT-4o-mini is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).

Cheaper output GPT-4o-mini $1.5 vs $0.6 / 1M

GPT-4o-mini is $0.9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite 1.05M vs 128K

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).

Sample workload GPT-4o-mini $1 vs $0.45

GPT-4o-mini is $0.55 cheaper on the standard workload (55% 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
GPT-4o-mini 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

GPT-4o-mini has the lower input price; GPT-4o-mini has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-4o-mini 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 $0.45 for GPT-4o-mini.

Best Fit

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

Choose GPT-4o-mini when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-4o-mini is estimated at $0.45 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.55 (55% lower).
  • GPT-4o-mini is $0.55 cheaper on the standard workload (55% lower).
  • GPT-4o-mini is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
  • GPT-4o-mini is $0.9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNew🔥Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
(Google)		GPT-4o-mini
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.25$0.15
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1.5$0.6
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$1$0.45
Context Window1.05M128K
Release Date
Popularity#20#26

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGPT-4o-miniOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-4o-mini is estimated at $0.45 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.55 (55% lower).
High-volume input processingGPT-4o-miniLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGPT-4o-miniLower 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 $0.25 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.

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Larger context alternatives

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

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Provider catalogs

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

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Google catalog

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

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OpenAI catalog

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

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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...

GPT-4o-mini

GPT-4o mini is OpenAI's newest model after [GPT-4 Omni](/models/openai/gpt-4o), supporting both text and image inputs with text outputs. As their most advanced small model, it is many multiples more affordable...