Gemini 3.5 Flash vs GPT-4.1 Mini
A side-by-side comparison of two multimodal models — real specs, pricing, strengths and weaknesses, and a clear verdict on which to choose. Kept current by our agents.
Quick verdict: which should you choose?
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if you need
- ✓Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if you need maximum output speed at 182.7 tokens per second.
- ✓Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if you need higher intelligence (45.4 index) and video/audio processing.
- ✓Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if you need strong multimodal integration across text, image, video and audio.
- ✓Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if you need the slightly larger 1,048,576-token context window.
Choose GPT-4.1 Mini if you need
- ✓Choose GPT-4.1 Mini if you need the lowest price at $1.6 per million tokens.
- ✓Choose GPT-4.1 Mini if you need large-scale image and text document workflows.
- ✓Choose GPT-4.1 Mini if you need OpenAI's general-purpose capabilities at minimal cost.
- ✓Choose GPT-4.1 Mini if you need million-token context without audio or video requirements.
Verdict
Gemini 3.5 Flash leads decisively on intelligence (45.4 vs 16.3) and output speed (182.7 t/s vs 84.71 t/s) while offering broader multimodal support including audio and video. GPT-4.1 Mini wins on price ($1.6 vs $9 per million tokens) and remains competitive on near-identical million-token context windows. The choice hinges on whether raw capability and versatility outweigh the substantial cost difference.
Gemini 3.5 Flash vs GPT-4.1 Mini: side by side
| Spec | Gemini 3.5 Flash | GPT-4.1 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 45.4 | 16.3 | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
| Output speed | 184 t/s | 89 t/s | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
| Output price | $9.00/1M | $1.60/1M | GPT-4.1 Mini |
| Context | 1049K | 1048K | Gemini 3.5 Flash |
| Params | — | — | Tie |
| Provider | OpenAI | Tie |
Detailed analysis
Intelligence
Winner: Gemini 3.5 FlashGemini 3.5 Flash scores 45.4 on the intelligence index while GPT-4.1 Mini scores 16.3. This gap indicates Gemini delivers stronger reasoning and task performance. GPT-4.1 Mini's lower score reflects its mini variant design focused on efficiency.
Speed
Winner: Gemini 3.5 FlashGemini 3.5 Flash outputs at 182.7 tokens per second compared to GPT-4.1 Mini's 84.71 t/s. The nearly 2x speed advantage favors Gemini for high-throughput applications. GPT-4.1 Mini's slower rate may increase latency on large contexts.
Pricing
Winner: GPT-4.1 MiniGPT-4.1 Mini costs $1.6 per million tokens versus Gemini 3.5 Flash at $9 per million tokens. This makes GPT-4.1 Mini over 5x cheaper for equivalent volume. Price-sensitive workloads therefore favor the OpenAI model.
Multimodal Capabilities
Winner: Gemini 3.5 FlashGemini 3.5 Flash supports text, image, video and audio while GPT-4.1 Mini is limited to images, text and files. Gemini's broader modality coverage enables more versatile use cases. GPT-4.1 Mini explicitly lacks audio and video support.
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Pros
- +High speed and efficiency
- +Strong multimodal integration
- +Large context window support
Cons
- –Trades depth for speed on complex tasks
- –Variable performance on specialized domains
- –Context utilization depends on task
GPT-4.1 Mini
Pros
- +Handles over one million tokens of context
- +Processes images, text, and files together
- +Suitable for large document workflows
Cons
- –Mini variant may trade depth for efficiency
- –No audio or video modality support
- –Large context can increase response latency
Summary: Gemini 3.5 Flash vs GPT-4.1 Mini
Gemini 3.5 Flash is the stronger performer for intelligence, speed and full multimodal tasks, making it preferable when quality and versatility matter most. GPT-4.1 Mini is the practical choice for budget-conscious users needing large context with image and text only. Select based on whether the 5x price premium for Gemini's superior metrics is justified.
Frequently asked questions
Gemini 3.5 Flash is better overall due to its much higher intelligence index, faster speed and wider multimodal support.