gemini-3.5-flash-lite vs gpt-5.6-luna
Fourteen priced metrics for the same 2,000-in / 300-out call, with and without provider caching, and what TokenZero's cascade would do with the pair.
At list prices as of 2026-10-26, gpt-5.6-luna costs $0.33 per million blended tokens on a 2,000-in / 300-out call against $0.59 for gemini-3.5-flash-lite, 43.7% less. With the static prefix cached both drop further: $0.95 versus $0.49 per thousand calls. TokenZero routes only prompts its classifier scores simple and holds a 99.8% parity floor.
· Source: provider list prices verified in pricing table 2026-10-26; costs computed by the same code that signs TokenZero receipts
At a glance
- Cheaper per blended token
- gpt-5.6-luna by 43.7% (computed)
- gemini-3.5-flash-lite blended $/1M
- $0.59 (computed)
- gpt-5.6-luna blended $/1M
- $0.33 (computed)
- Input $/1M
- $0.30 vs $0.20
- Output $/1M
- $2.50 vs $1.20
- Cached input $/1M
- $0.030 vs $0.020
- Cache discount
- 90% vs 90% (computed)
- Monthly at 100k calls
- $135 vs $76 (computed)
- Saved per 1M calls
- $590 (computed)
- Providers
- gemini vs openai
- Lifecycle
- active, no retirement announced vs active, no retirement announced
- Parity floor for routing
- 99.8% (shadow-eval breaker)
gemini-3.5-flash-lite vs gpt-5.6-luna: list prices and the same workload on both (USD, table 2026-10-26)
| Metric | gemini-3.5-flash-lite | gpt-5.6-luna | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider · tier | gemini · fast | openai · fast | different providers |
| Input $/1M | $0.30 | $0.20 | 33.3% gap |
| Output $/1M | $2.50 | $1.20 | 52% gap |
| Cached input $/1M | $0.030 | $0.020 | 90% / 90% off input |
| Cache write $/1M | no surcharge | $0.250 | |
| Minimum cacheable prefix | 1024 tokens | 1024 tokens | |
| Effective blended $/1M (2,000 in / 300 out) | $0.59 | $0.33 | gpt-5.6-luna 43.7% less |
| Per call | $0.00135 | $0.00076 | $0.00059 |
| Per month at 100k calls | $135 | $76 | $59 |
| …with the 1,500-token prefix cached | $95 | $49 | $46 |
| Long-context threshold | single tier | 272,000 tokens ($0.40 in / $1.80 out above) | |
| Processing tiers | standard only | flex 0.5x · fast 2x | |
| Lifecycle | active, no retirement announced | active, no retirement announced | |
| Cheaper sibling (cascade target) | — | — | |
| TokenZero cascade recommendation | none (cascade stays within one provider; cross-provider moves only on failover) | $590 saved per 1M calls if every call moved; $236 at a 40% simple-prompt share | 99.8% parity floor, breaker on |
Use either model through TokenZero
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://tokenzero.sh/v1
GOOGLE_GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://tokenzero.sh
# keep your own keys; cache formatting on, routing advisory, signed receipt per callFree up to $500/month of routed spend; paid plans take 15% of verified savings with a 3x-ROI-or-$0 rule.
What is not on this page
Third-party quality scores (coding ELO, extraction accuracy, reasoning benchmarks) and per-model latency are not shown because TokenZero does not measure them; the numbers above are prices and the arithmetic on them. The latency benchmark shows what the gateway does measure.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, gemini-3.5-flash-lite or gpt-5.6-luna?
gpt-5.6-luna. At list prices as of 2026-10-26 it costs $0.33 per million blended tokens versus $0.59 for gemini-3.5-flash-lite, a 43.7% gap on a 2,000-input / 300-output call. Per month at 100,000 calls that is $76 versus $135.
How much does prompt caching change the gemini-3.5-flash-lite vs gpt-5.6-luna gap?
Cached input costs $0.030 on gemini-3.5-flash-lite and $0.020 on gpt-5.6-luna per million. With a 1,500-token static prefix cached, 100,000 calls cost $95 and $49 respectively; TokenZero's formatter places the breakpoints and sets prompt_cache_key automatically.
Can TokenZero route gemini-3.5-flash-lite traffic to gpt-5.6-luna safely?
Not automatically: cascade routing stays inside one provider so the request shape, tools and keys are unchanged. Cross-provider moves happen only on failover when you name the fallback model and key. Use the calculator to price a manual migration of the workload.
Is gemini-3.5-flash-lite or gpt-5.6-luna being retired?
gemini-3.5-flash-lite: active, no retirement announced. gpt-5.6-luna: active, no retirement announced. TokenZero audits flag retired ids and the gateway warns in X-TokenZero-Warning with the provider's replacement.
Related
Price your own workload on gemini-3.5-flash-lite and gpt-5.6-luna