LLM Reference

Gemini 2.5 Pro vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview

Gemini 2.5 Pro (2025) and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind. Gemini 2.5 Pro ships a 1m-token context window, while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ships a 1m-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview leads by 4.8 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is safer overall; choose Gemini 2.5 Pro when coding workflow support matters.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first
SignalGemini 2.5 ProGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Best forreasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agentsmultimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysis
Decision fitCoding, RAG, and AgentsCoding, RAG, and Agents
Context window1m1m
Cheapest output$10/1M tokens$12/1M tokens
Provider routes4 tracked5 tracked
Shared benchmarks8 rowsMMLU PRO leader

Decision tradeoffs

Choose Gemini 2.5 Pro when...
  • Gemini 2.5 Pro has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $10/1M tokens.
  • Gemini 2.5 Pro uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags Gemini 2.5 Pro for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview when...
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 4.8 points.
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
  • Local decision data tags Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview for Coding, RAG, and Agents.

Monthly cost at traffic

Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.

Lower estimate Gemini 2.5 Pro

Gemini 2.5 Pro

$3,500

Cheapest tracked route/tier: Google AI Studio <=200K tokens

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview

$4,600

Cheapest tracked route/tier: Google AI Studio

Estimated monthly gap: $1,100. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

Gemini 2.5 Pro -> Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
  • Provider overlap exists on Google AI Studio, GCP Vertex AI, and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is $2/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview -> Gemini 2.5 Pro
  • Provider overlap exists on Google AI Studio, GCP Vertex AI, and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • Gemini 2.5 Pro is $2/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
  • Gemini 2.5 Pro adds Reasoning in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2025-06-172026-02-19
Context window1m1m
Parameters
Architecturedecoder onlydecoder only
LicenseProprietaryProprietary
OpennessProprietaryProprietary
Commercial useCommercial use with conditionsCommercial use with conditions
Knowledge cutoff2025-012025-01

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeGemini 2.5 ProGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Input price
<=200K tokens
$1.25/1M tokens
Standard Gemini 2.5 Pro pricing for prompts up to 200K tokens.
<=200K tokens
$1.25/1M tokens
Standard Vertex AI Gemini 2.5 Pro pricing for prompts up to 200K tokens.
0-200,001t
$1.25/1M tokens
>200K tokens
$2.50/1M tokens
Higher Gemini 2.5 Pro tier for prompts above 200K tokens.
>200K tokens
$2.50/1M tokens
Higher Vertex AI Gemini 2.5 Pro tier for prompts above 200K tokens.
200,001t+
$2.50/1M tokens
0-200,001t
$2/1M tokens
200,001t+
$4/1M tokens
Output price
<=200K tokens
$10/1M tokens
Standard Gemini 2.5 Pro pricing for prompts up to 200K tokens.
<=200K tokens
$10/1M tokens
Standard Vertex AI Gemini 2.5 Pro pricing for prompts up to 200K tokens.
0-200,001t
$10/1M tokens
>200K tokens
$15/1M tokens
Higher Gemini 2.5 Pro tier for prompts above 200K tokens.
>200K tokens
$15/1M tokens
Higher Vertex AI Gemini 2.5 Pro tier for prompts above 200K tokens.
200,001t+
$15/1M tokens
0-200,001t
$12/1M tokens
200,001t+
$18/1M tokens
Providers

Capabilities

CapabilityGemini 2.5 ProGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
VisionYesYes
MultimodalYesYes
ReasoningYesNo
Function callingYesYes
Tool useYesYes
Structured outputsYesYes
Code executionYesYes
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkGemini 2.5 ProGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
MMLU PRO86.291.0
SWE-bench Verified63.880.6
Google-Proof Q&A86.494.3
AIME 202586.795.0
LiveCodeBench75.691.7
Humanity's Last Exam18.851.4
HumanEval93.194.0
Chatbot Arena1398.01493.0

Deep dive

On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Gemini 2.5 Pro at 86.2 and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview at 91.0, with Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ahead by 4.8 points; SWE-bench Verified has Gemini 2.5 Pro at 63.8 and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview at 80.6, with Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ahead by 16.8 points; Google-Proof Q&A has Gemini 2.5 Pro at 86.4 and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview at 94.3, with Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview ahead by 7.9 points. The largest visible gap is 16.8 points on SWE-bench Verified, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.

The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Gemini 2.5 Pro. Both models share vision, multimodal input, function calling, and tool use, 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 2.5 Pro lists tiered pricing: <=200K tokens is $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output; <=200K tokens is $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output; 0-200,001t is $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output; >200K tokens is $2.50/1M input and $15/1M output; >200K tokens is $2.50/1M input and $15/1M output; 200,001t+ is $2.50/1M input and $15/1M output, while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview lists tiered pricing: 0-200,001t is $2/1M input and $12/1M output; 200,001t+ is $4/1M input and $18/1M output. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemini 2.5 Pro lower by about $1.13 per million blended tokens. For tiered rows, this cheapest-track view can understate interactive or fast-lane spend, so compare the tier you will actually use. Availability is 4 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.

Choose Gemini 2.5 Pro when coding workflow support and lower cheapest-tier input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.

FAQ

Which has a larger context window, Gemini 2.5 Pro or Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview?

Gemini 2.5 Pro supports 1m tokens, while Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview 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 2.5 Pro or Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview?

Gemini 2.5 Pro lists tiered pricing: <=200K tokens is $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output; <=200K tokens is $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output; 0-200,001t is $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output; >200K tokens is $2.50/1M input and $15/1M output; >200K tokens is $2.50/1M input and $15/1M output; 200,001t+ is $2.50/1M input and $15/1M output. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview lists tiered pricing: 0-200,001t is $2/1M input and $12/1M output; 200,001t+ is $4/1M input and $18/1M output. Compare the tier you will actually use; cheap async pricing can overstate savings for interactive workflows. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.

Is Gemini 2.5 Pro or Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview open source?

Gemini 2.5 Pro is listed under Proprietary. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is listed under Proprietary. 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 vision, Gemini 2.5 Pro or Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview?

Both Gemini 2.5 Pro and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.

Which is better for multimodal input, Gemini 2.5 Pro or Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview?

Both Gemini 2.5 Pro and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.

Where can I run Gemini 2.5 Pro and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview?

Gemini 2.5 Pro is available on Google AI Studio, GCP Vertex AI, OpenRouter, and Vercel AI Gateway. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is available on Google AI Studio, GCP Vertex AI, OpenRouter, Replicate API, and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.

Continue comparing

Last reviewed: 2026-06-05. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.