Quick Verdict
| Need | First model to test | Why |
|---|---|---|
| High-volume routine text | Gemini 3.8 Flash | Lower listed standard token rates than Sonnet 5.5 |
| Coding or document review | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Test whether fewer corrections repay its token premium |
| Hard reasoning | Claude Opus 5.5 | Escalate only when Sonnet misses the acceptance target |
| Google frontier API | Gemini 4 Argon | Check paid access, quotas, and scheduled rates |
| Pricing data: How we verify → | ||
The live price table, chart, and calculator above use current pricing data. A cheaper input rate may lose when responses are long or retries multiply.
What Changed
Claude Sonnet 5.5 is now the relevant Claude default. Use the generated table for fresh-input, cached-input, and output rates rather than copying them into prose. Cache creation has its own charge and duration; do not infer it from the read discount. Check Anthropic’s Sonnet 5.5 documentation and our Anthropic pricing page for details.
The current Google volume candidate in our data is Gemini 3.8 Flash. Gemini 4 Argon is now a stable paid API endpoint in the maintained dataset, not a default replacement for volume Flash traffic. It is not listed for the Free tier or Google AI Pro plan. Its introductory pricing ends November 30, with published standard rates scheduled for December 1, 2026; the table below renders both sets from the dataset. Older Gemini 2.5 and 3 Pro rows are marked legacy in our data; verify lifecycle status before budgeting around them. See the Google pricing page for the model list.
Compare Cost per Accepted Result
Enter your actual input, output, and request counts in the token cost calculator. Run held-out tasks through each model and record accepted answers, retries, tool calls, latency, and reviewer time. The winner is the cheapest accepted result, not necessarily the cheapest million tokens.
Model caching separately: uncached calls, cache creation, and cache reads. Sonnet 5.5’s cache-write charge cannot be inferred from its cache-read rate. Gemini’s cached-input behavior also depends on model and setup; Argon supports implicit caching, not explicit cache storage. If prompts rarely repeat, the headline cache discount may not appear on your bill.
Routing Recommendations
| Workload | Start with | Escalate when needed |
|---|---|---|
| Classification and extraction | Gemini 3.8 Flash | Claude Haiku 5.5 or Sonnet 5.5 |
| Customer-facing drafts | Gemini 3.8 Flash | Claude Sonnet 5.5 after quality checks |
| Repository-level coding | Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Claude Opus 5.5 for failed or high-risk tasks |
| Long-document synthesis | A/B test Flash and Sonnet | Keep the route with less correction work |
| New Google frontier features | Gemini 4 Argon | Check paid-project quotas and post-introductory cost |
| Pricing data: How we verify → | ||
Pin exact model IDs and retest when a provider changes a default alias. Route simple calls cheaply, then escalate only those that fail a defined check. For more options, see the AI API pricing comparison.
For low-risk volume traffic, an open-model endpoint on Novita AI may be worth testing. Benchmark quality and total request cost first.
Bottom line
Start routine traffic on Gemini 3.8 Flash and compare Sonnet 5.5 where mistakes are costly. Escalate to Opus 5.5 or Argon only when measured outcomes justify it.
Affiliate disclosure: sponsored links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. They do not affect this comparison.
FAQ
Is Gemini cheaper than Claude?
Gemini 3.8 Flash has lower listed standard token rates than Claude Sonnet 5.5. Your bill can differ with caching, output length, retries, and model choice.
Is Sonnet 5.5 more expensive than Sonnet 5?
Use the current Sonnet 5.5 row, not an older model’s rate or expired launch terms. Model fresh input, cache reads, and cache creation separately before comparing invoices.
Should I use Gemini 4 Argon for production?
It is listed as a stable paid endpoint in the maintained dataset. Test quality, regional eligibility, quotas, and the scheduled post-introductory cost before moving production traffic.