Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools vs ShieldGemma 9B
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools (2026) and ShieldGemma 9B (2024) are compact production models from Google DeepMind. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools ships a 1m-token context window, while ShieldGemma 9B ships a 8k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools fits 125x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and ShieldGemma 9B for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools | ShieldGemma 9B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and long-context analysis | general production evaluation |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Vision | Classification |
| Context window | 1m | 8k |
| Cheapest output | $12/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
- Local decision data tags ShieldGemma 9B for Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
$4,600
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
ShieldGemma 9B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools and ShieldGemma 9B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for ShieldGemma 9B and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-01-01 | 2024-07-01 |
| Context window | 1m | 8k |
| Parameters | — | 9B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Gemma |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools | ShieldGemma 9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $12/1M tokens | - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools | ShieldGemma 9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| 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 rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, multimodal input: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, and structured outputs: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools. 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has $2/1M input tokens and ShieldGemma 9B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 1. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose ShieldGemma 9B when provider fit 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 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools supports 1m tokens, while ShieldGemma 9B supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or ShieldGemma 9B open source?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is listed under Proprietary. ShieldGemma 9B is listed under Gemma. 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 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input 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 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools and ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is available on OpenRouter. ShieldGemma 9B is available on NVIDIA NIM. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.