Gemini 3.8 Flash vs MiniMax M3: cost per task
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on 14 of 14 tasks and about 4.2x cheaper on average (geometric mean). Gemini 3.8 Flash has the higher LMArena Text score (1496 vs 1441).
| Task | Gemini 3.8 Flash | MiniMax M3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer a chat question | 0.68¢ | 0.12¢ | 5.7x |
| Reply to a customer email | 0.25¢ | 0.07¢ | 3.8x |
| Write a 1,500-word blog post | 1.5¢ | 0.27¢ | 5.4x |
| Write 10 product descriptions | 1.2¢ | 0.21¢ | 6.0x |
| Translate 1,000 words | 1.9¢ | 0.73¢ | 2.7x |
| Proofread one page (500 words) | 0.51¢ | 0.15¢ | 3.3x |
| Summarize a 20-page PDF | 1.6¢ | 0.47¢ | 3.3x |
| Extract data from an invoice | 0.65¢ | 0.12¢ | 5.5x |
| Analyze a 200-row spreadsheet | 3.9¢ | 2.1¢ | 1.9x |
| Answer from 5 retrieved documents (RAG) | 1.2¢ | 0.26¢ | 4.5x |
| Classify 100 support tickets | 2.9¢ | 0.27¢ | 10.4x |
| Review 500 lines of code | 1.3¢ | 0.45¢ | 2.8x |
| Write a SQL query | 0.67¢ | 0.09¢ | 7.2x |
| Run a 50-step coding agent | 50¢ | 18¢ | 2.7x |
Specs and list prices
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input per 1M | $0.82 | $0.30 |
| Output per 1M | $4.12 | $1.20 |
| Cached input per 1M | $0.083 | $0.06 |
| Context | 1M | 1M |
| Providers | 7 | 14 |
| Reasoning | always | none |
| LMArena Text | 1496 | 1441 |
| Released | Sep 2, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
FAQ
Is Gemini 3.8 Flash or MiniMax M3 cheaper?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on 14 of 14 tasks and about 4.2x cheaper on average (geometric mean). Gemini 3.8 Flash has the higher LMArena Text score (1496 vs 1441).
How much does Gemini 3.8 Flash cost compared to MiniMax M3 per token?
Gemini 3.8 Flash: $0.82 input and $4.12 output per 1M tokens. MiniMax M3: $0.30 input and $1.20 output. Token prices alone mislead - models use different numbers of tokens for the same task, which is what the task table shows.