API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGrok Build 0.1 vs NewGemini 3.5 Flash

Pick Grok Build 0.1 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.5 Flash 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 Grok Build 0.1 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.5 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok Build 0.1 is estimated at $2 vs $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash, saving $4 (66.7% lower).

Cost-first pickGrok Build 0.1
Context-first pickGemini 3.5 Flash
Sample savings$466.7%
10x traffic gap$40

Gemini 3.5 Flash has more context, but Grok Build 0.1 saves $4 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $40. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Grok Build 0.1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGrok Build 0.1Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGrok Build 0.1$6$12
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGrok Build 0.1$3$10.5
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGrok Build 0.1$11$46.5
Cheaper input Grok Build 0.1 $1 vs $1.5 / 1M

Grok Build 0.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).

Cheaper output Grok Build 0.1 $2 vs $9 / 1M

Grok Build 0.1 is $7 cheaper per 1M output tokens (77.8% lower; 4.5x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.5 Flash 256K vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.5 Flash has 792.58K more context (4.1x larger).

Sample workload Grok Build 0.1 $2 vs $6

Grok Build 0.1 is $4 cheaper on the standard workload (66.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Grok Build 0.1 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemini 3.5 Flash 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

Grok Build 0.1 has the lower input price; Grok Build 0.1 has the lower output price; Gemini 3.5 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Grok Build 0.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2 for Grok Build 0.1 and $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash.

Best Fit

Choose Grok Build 0.1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok Build 0.1 is estimated at $2 vs $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash, saving $4 (66.7% lower).
  • Grok Build 0.1 is $4 cheaper on the standard workload (66.7% lower).
  • Grok Build 0.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
  • Grok Build 0.1 is $7 cheaper per 1M output tokens (77.8% lower; 4.5x difference).
  • Gemini 3.5 Flash has 792.58K more context (4.1x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewGrok Build 0.1
(xAI)
NewGemini 3.5 Flash
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$1$1.5
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$2$9
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$2$6
Context Window256K1.05M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGrok Build 0.1On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok Build 0.1 is estimated at $2 vs $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash, saving $4 (66.7% lower).
High-volume input processingGrok Build 0.1Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGrok Build 0.1Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.5 FlashA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
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xAI catalog

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Grok Build 0.1

Grok Build 0.1 is xAI’s fast coding model trained specifically for agentic software engineering workflows. It supports text and image inputs with text output, and is optimized for interactive coding...

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Gemini 3.5 Flash is Google's high-efficiency multimodal model, bringing near-Pro level coding and reasoning at Flash-tier cost and speed. It is highly optimized for coding proficiency and parallel agentic execution...