Google Gemini vs OpenAI GPT: API Pricing Comparison 2026
Compare Google Gemini and OpenAI GPT API pricing. See Gemini 2.5 Pro, Flash vs GPT-4.1, GPT-5, o3 costs, benchmarks, context windows, and value analysis.
Pricing Comparison
| Model | Tier | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google (Gemini) | |||||
| Gemini 2.5 Pro | Flagship | $1.25 | $10.00 | ||
| Gemini 2.5 Flash | Mid-tier | $0.30 | $2.50 | ||
| Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | Budget | $0.10 | $0.40 | ||
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | Budget | $0.10 | $0.40 | ||
| Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | Flagship | $2.00 | $12.00 | ||
| Gemini 3 Flash Preview | Mid-tier | $0.50 | $3.00 | ||
| Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite | Budget | $0.07 | $0.30 | ||
| OpenAI (GPT) | |||||
| GPT-4.1 | Flagship | $2.00 | $8.00 | ||
| GPT-4.1 Mini | Mid-tier | $0.40 | $1.60 | ||
| GPT-4.1 Nano | Budget | $0.10 | $0.40 | ||
| GPT-4o | Flagship | $2.50 | $10.00 | ||
| GPT-4o Mini | Budget | $0.15 | $0.60 | ||
| o3 | Flagship | $2.00 | $8.00 | ||
| o3 Mini | Mid-tier | $1.10 | $4.40 | ||
| o4 Mini | Mid-tier | $1.10 | $4.40 | ||
| o1 | Flagship | $15.00 | $60.00 | ||
| GPT-5 | Flagship | $1.25 | $10.00 | ||
| GPT-5 Mini | Mid-tier | $0.25 | $2.00 | ||
| GPT-5 Nano | Budget | $0.05 | $0.40 | ||
| GPT-5.1 | Flagship | $1.25 | $10.00 | ||
| GPT-5.2 | Flagship | $1.75 | $14.00 | ||
| GPT-5.2 Pro | Flagship | $21.00 | $168.00 | ||
| GPT-5 Pro | Flagship | $15.00 | $120.00 | ||
| o3 Pro | Flagship | $20.00 | $80.00 | ||
| GPT-5.1 Codex Mini | Mid-tier | $0.25 | $2.00 | ||
| GPT-OSS 120B | Mid-tier | $0.04 | $0.19 | ||
| GPT-OSS 20B | Budget | $0.03 | $0.14 | ||
Quality Benchmarks
Comparing Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview vs GPT-5.2 Pro — the highest-rated model from each provider by Arena ELO.
Key Differences
Price Range (Input $/1M)
Max Context Window
Models Available
Batch Pricing
Prompt Caching
Vision Support
Our Verdict
Google (Gemini)
OpenAI (GPT)
Google (Gemini)
Gemini wins on price-to-performance ratio; GPT wins on ecosystem maturity and model variety.
Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash is arguably the best value in the AI API market: at $0.15/$0.60 per million tokens, it delivers Arena ELO of 1330 and strong benchmark scores. The closest OpenAI equivalent (GPT-4o Mini at $0.15/$0.60) scores lower on most benchmarks. At the flagship tier, Gemini 2.5 Pro ($1.25/$10.00) is priced identically to GPT-5 and competitively against GPT-4.1 ($2.00/$8.00). Google's context window advantage (1M+ tokens standard) adds value for long-document workloads. OpenAI's strengths are ecosystem breadth (12+ models vs 6), more mature tooling, the o-series reasoning models with no Google equivalent, and broader third-party integration support. Choose Gemini for cost efficiency and long-context tasks; choose GPT for maximum flexibility and cutting-edge reasoning.
Google's Gemini and OpenAI's GPT are the two largest AI API platforms by adoption, and their pricing strategies diverge in interesting ways. Google has been aggressive on price, with Gemini 2.5 Flash offering flagship-adjacent quality at just $0.15/$0.60 per million tokens. OpenAI counters with the widest model selection and the most mature developer ecosystem. The biggest differentiator is context window size. Google leads with up to 2M tokens on Gemini 1.5 Pro and 1M tokens across the Gemini 2.x line. OpenAI matches with 1M tokens on GPT-4.1 but caps older models at 128-200K. For applications processing long documents, codebases, or conversation histories, this difference matters significantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Gemini cheaper than OpenAI GPT?+
Generally yes. Gemini 2.5 Flash ($0.15/$0.60) matches GPT-4o Mini on price while scoring higher on benchmarks. At the flagship tier, Gemini 2.5 Pro and GPT-5 are similarly priced at $1.25/$10.00.
Which has larger context windows, Gemini or GPT?+
Google Gemini leads with up to 2M tokens (Gemini 1.5 Pro) and 1M tokens across the 2.x line. OpenAI's GPT-4.1 matches at 1M tokens, but older models cap at 128-200K.
Does Google Gemini support batch pricing?+
Google does not currently offer batch pricing discounts like OpenAI's 50% off Batch API. However, Gemini's base prices are often low enough to be competitive with OpenAI's batch prices.
Which is better for coding, Gemini or GPT?+
OpenAI's o3 and o4-mini models lead in coding benchmarks (HumanEval 97.8% and 95.2%). Gemini 2.5 Pro is competitive at 95.0% but lacks specialized coding-focused models like OpenAI's o-series.
Can I use Gemini and GPT together?+
Yes. Many teams route requests between Google and OpenAI APIs based on cost and complexity. OpenRouter, LiteLLM, and similar tools support both providers through unified APIs.