Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Grok 3
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
Gemini 2.5 Flash specs · Grok 3 specs- PriceGemini 2.5 Flash
Gemini 2.5 Flash is roughly 50.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.30 vs $15.00 per 1M).
- Context windowGemini 2.5 Flash
Gemini 2.5 Flash accepts 1.0M tokens vs 128K, 8.2× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksTie
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.
- ModalitiesGemini 2.5 Flash
Gemini 2.5 Flash supports 3 modalities (text, vision, audio) vs 2 for Grok 3.
- OpennessTie
Both are closed-weight, API-only.
On balance Gemini 2.5 Flash edges ahead, winning 3 of 5 categories against Grok 3's 0. Gemini 2.5 Flash is roughly 50.0× cheaper on output tokens ($0.30 vs $15.00 per 1M). Gemini 2.5 Flash accepts 1.0M tokens vs 128K, 8.2× the room for long documents and codebases.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, Gemini 2.5 Flash handles text, vision, audio while Grok 3 handles text, vision, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Both are closed-weight, API-only.
Gemini 2.5 Flash is the newer of the two, released 2 months after Grok 3, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. Gemini 2.5 Flash is usually picked for rag and long context workloads, while Grok 3 sees more deployments in chatbots and research agent. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Grok 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | |
| Released | Apr 2025 | Feb 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision, audio | text, vision |
| Context window | 1.0M tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | , | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.075 / 1M tokens | $3.00 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $0.30 / 1M tokens | $15.00 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | 2024-08 |
| Open weights | No | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
Pricing at scale
What you'd actually pay at typical workloads. Numbers come from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day$0.675 vs $31.50
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$6.75 vs $315
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$13.05 vs $540
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $0.675 vs $31.50 per month, model A comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $6.75 vs $315 per month, model A comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $13.05 vs $540 per month, model A comes out ahead.
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Gemini 2.5 Flash$0.022
- Grok 3$1.05
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
Gemini 2.5 Flash fits when…
- Cheap and fast
- Long context
- Solid vision
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 50.0× cheaper than Grok 3 on output tokens.
- Long-context tasks, handles 1.0M tokens vs 128K for Grok 3.
Grok 3 fits when…
- Real-time X access
- Reasoning modes
Consider Gemini 3 Pro
Google's late-2025 flagship, set new benchmarks on long-context, vision, and reasoning at competitive pricing.
Frequently asked
Is Gemini 2.5 Flash or Grok 3 cheaper?
Gemini 2.5 Flash is cheaper at $0.30 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $15.00 / 1M tokens for Grok 3.Which has the larger context window?
Gemini 2.5 Flash accepts 1.0M tokens vs 128K for Grok 3.Is Gemini 2.5 Flash or Grok 3 better for coding?
Both Gemini 2.5 Flash and Grok 3 are competitive on coding benchmarks. See each model's individual spec page for HumanEval and SWE-bench scores where published. For an opinionated pick, consult our Best LLM for Coding ranking.Are either of these models open source?
Neither model ships open weights, both are accessible only via their respective providers' APIs.When were Gemini 2.5 Flash and Grok 3 released?
Gemini 2.5 Flash was released by Google on 2025-04-09. Grok 3 was released by xAI on 2025-02-17.
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