Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
Gemini 1.5 Flash (2024) and Nemotron 3 Ultra (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind and NVIDIA AI. Gemini 1.5 Flash ships a 1m-token context window, while Nemotron 3 Ultra ships a 1m-token context window. On pricing, Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.07/1M input tokens versus $0.50/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemini 1.5 Flash is ~567% cheaper at $0.07/1M; pay for Nemotron 3 Ultra only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | long-context analysis and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps and long-context analysis |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Long context |
| Context window | 1m | 1m |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $2.20/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemini 1.5 Flash has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- Gemini 1.5 Flash has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Gemini 1.5 Flash uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Gemini 1.5 Flash for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 3 Ultra for Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemini 1.5 Flash
$135
Cheapest tracked route/tier: GCP Vertex AI
Nemotron 3 Ultra
$950
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $815. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemini 1.5 Flash and Nemotron 3 Ultra; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra is $1.90/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Nemotron 3 Ultra and Gemini 1.5 Flash; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemini 1.5 Flash is $1.90/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Gemini 1.5 Flash adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-05-14 | 2026-06-04 |
| Context window | 1m | 1m |
| Parameters | — | 550B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Proprietary | NVIDIA Open Model |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-05 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.07/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $2.20/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Nemotron 3 Ultra and structured outputs: Gemini 1.5 Flash. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Gemini 1.5 Flash lists $0.07/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Nemotron 3 Ultra lists $0.50/1M input and $2.20/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemini 1.5 Flash lower by about $0.87 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron 3 Ultra when reasoning depth are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Gemini 1.5 Flash supports 1m tokens, while Nemotron 3 Ultra supports 1m tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.07/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.50/1M input and $2.20/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemini 1.5 Flash or Nemotron 3 Ultra open source?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is listed under Proprietary. Nemotron 3 Ultra is listed under NVIDIA Open Model. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Nemotron 3 Ultra has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Gemini 1.5 Flash has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Gemini 1.5 Flash and Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is available on GCP Vertex AI and Google AI Studio. Nemotron 3 Ultra is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.