Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
This page compares Claude Sonnet 4.5 (Anthropic) and Gemini 3 Flash (Google) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, Claude Sonnet 4.5 is ahead by 29 points (1,524 vs 1,495; seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, Gemini 3 Flash resolves 75.8% versus 70.1% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). Gemini 3 Flash streams faster (190 tok/s) while Gemini 3 Flash is the cheaper output token ($3/1M). Gemini 3 Flash has the larger context window (1M tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.5Workhorse Anthropic model: most of Opus coding quality at a mid-tier price.
Fast Google frontier-adjacent model. Near-top official SWE-bench at a fraction of Opus price.
Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs
Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
29 pts advantage
102 tok/s faster
$12.00/1M cheaper
Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.
Gemini 3 Flash is estimated to save $267.50/month ($3,210/year).
Higher SWE-bench (75.8%).
Lower output list price ($3/1M).
Lower TTFT (95 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Sonnet 4.5).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Gemini 3 Flash | Higher SWE-bench (75.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Gemini 3 Flash | Lower output list price ($3/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Gemini 3 Flash | Lower TTFT (95 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Gemini 3 Flash | Larger window (1M). |
| Screenshots / vision | Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Claude Sonnet 4.5). |
March 2026 speed SKU. Still a useful cheap-coding compare even after 3.6/3.7 Flash.
Most of Opus 4.5 coding at a mid-tier price. Sonnet 5 replaced it as the buy; 4.5 remains a compare baseline.
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The real PNG is generated at /compare/claude-sonnet-4-5-vs-gemini-3-flash/opengraph-image for crawlers.
Verified head-to-head card
