Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite (2026) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind and Alibaba. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite ships a 1.05m-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by 2.4 pts. On pricing, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $0.25/1M input tokens versus $0.39/1M 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 3.1 Flash-Lite is ~56% cheaper at $0.25/1M; pay for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B only for reasoning depth.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first
SignalGemini 3.1 Flash-LiteQwen3.5-397B-A17B
Best formultimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and long-context analysisreasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents
Decision fitCoding, RAG, and AgentsCoding, RAG, and Agents
Context window1.05m262k
Cheapest output$1.50/1M tokens$2.34/1M tokens
Provider routes3 tracked4 tracked
Shared benchmarks1 sharedGoogle-Proof Q&A leader

Decision tradeoffs

Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite when...
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.50/1M tokens.
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when...
  • Qwen3.5-397B-A17B holds a shared-benchmark lead on Google-Proof Q&A, ahead by 2.4 points.
  • Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
  • Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
  • Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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 3.1 Flash-Lite

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

$575

Cheapest tracked route/tier: Google AI Studio

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

$897

Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter

Estimated monthly gap: $322. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite -> Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $0.84/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
  • Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
  • Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B -> Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
  • Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is $0.84/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
  • Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
  • Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite adds Code execution in local capability data.

Specs

Specification
Released2026-05-072026-02-16
Context window1.05m262k
Parameters—397B
ArchitectureDecoder OnlyMixture of Experts
LicenseProprietaryApache 2.0OSI-approved
OpennessProprietaryOpen source
WeightsNot releasedAvailable
CodeUnknownUnknown
Commercial useCommercial use: conditionalCommercial use: permitted
Knowledge cutoff2025-01-

Pricing and availability

Pricing attributeGemini 3.1 Flash-LiteQwen3.5-397B-A17B
Input price$0.25/1M tokens$0.39/1M tokens
Output price$1.50/1M tokens$2.34/1M tokens
Providers
Google AI StudioOpenRouterVercel AI Gateway
OpenRouterTogether AIAlibaba Cloud PAI-EASNovita AI

Capabilities

CapabilityGemini 3.1 Flash-LiteQwen3.5-397B-A17B
VisionYesYes
MultimodalYesYes
ReasoningNoYes
JSON / Tool useYesYes
Structured outputsYesYes
Code executionYesNo
IDE integrationNoNo
Computer useNoNo
Parallel agentsNoNo

Benchmarks

BenchmarkGemini 3.1 Flash-LiteQwen3.5-397B-A17B
Google-Proof Q&A86.989.3

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Model pages
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.