Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Kimi K3.
Verdict by category, tale of the tape, shared benchmarks only, and cost at three workloads — all from the tracked data.
Verdict by category
| Category | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Kimi K3 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| League Score | 69.9 | 70.6 | Kimi K3 |
| Coding (SWE-bench %) | — | — | — |
| Reasoning (GPQA %) | — | 93.5 | — |
| Context (tokens) | 1000000 | 1048576 | Kimi K3 |
| Speed (tok/s) | — | 44.8 | — |
| Price (blended $/1M) | $0.85 | $6.00 | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (cheaper) |
Tale of the tape
| Spec | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Google DeepMind | Moonshot AI |
| Released | Jul 21, 2026 | Jul 16, 2026 |
| League Score | 70 | 71 |
| Context | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Max output | — | 131,072 |
| $/1M input | $0.30 | $3.00 |
| $/1M output | $2.50 | $15.00 |
| Weights | Closed | Open |
| Speed | — | 44.8 t/s |
Head-to-head benchmarks (shared only)
| Benchmark | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Elo | 1418 | 1500 |
Cost at three workloads
| Workload | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Light — 1M in / 250K out | $0.93 | $6.75 |
| Standard — 10M in / 2.5M out | $9.25 | $67.50 |
| Long-context — 50M in / 5M out | $27.50 | $225.00 |
The pick
Pick Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite if you want the lower running cost.
Pick Kimi K3 if you want the higher overall League Score; you need the bigger context window; you want downloadable weights / self-hosting.
All figures from the model database — sources and dates on each model page. Cost your own workload or compare a different pair.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better overall, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Kimi K3?
On overall League Score they are effectively tied — Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite scores 70 and Kimi K3 scores 71. The category verdicts on this page are where the real differences live.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Kimi K3?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is cheaper: $0.85 vs $6.00 blended per 1M tokens (3:1 input/output mix) — about 7.1x less per token.
Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Kimi K3?
Kimi K3, with 1M of context against 1M for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite.
Are Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Kimi K3 open source?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is closed weights — API access only; Kimi K3 is open weights — it can be downloaded and self-hosted.