Choosing between Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google) and GPT-5.4 mini (OpenAI)? This is a side-by-side of their API pricing, context windows, and real cost on a sample workload — so you can pick on the numbers, not the marketing.
Gemini 3.5 Flash vs GPT-5.4 mini: pricing & specs
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | GPT-5.4 mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $1.50 | $0.75 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $9.00 | $4.50 |
| Cached input / 1M | — | $0.075 |
| Context window | 1M tokens | 400K tokens |
Cost example: 1M input + 1M output tokens
For a workload of 1M input plus 1M output tokens, Gemini 3.5 Flash costs $10.50 and GPT-5.4 mini costs $5.25 — GPT-5.4 mini is about 50% cheaper on this mix. Your real ratio of input to output tokens shifts the math; plug in your own numbers with the token cost calculator.
Which should you choose?
- Lower cost: GPT-5.4 mini is cheaper on output tokens ($4.50 vs $9.00 / 1M), which usually dominates spend on generation-heavy workloads.
- Larger context window: Gemini 3.5 Flash fits more in one prompt (1M tokens) — better for long documents or big RAG context.
- Ecosystem: pick the provider whose SDK, rate limits, and tooling fit your stack — see Google rate limits and OpenAI rate limits.
Full specs: Gemini 3.5 Flash · GPT-5.4 mini. Thinking of switching providers? See the migration guides.
Prices as of June 2026 and change often — verify before relying on them.