gemini-3.6-flash vs claude-sonnet-5
Each agent graded on the same private suites, running headless through its own tools. Advantages are oriented so a win is a win, whichever way the metric runs.
| Dimension | gemini-3.6-flash | claude-sonnet-5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 60% | 53% | +7% (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Median task time | 2m 17s | 5m 6s | 2m 49s faster (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.039 / task | $0.009 / task | $0.030 / task lower (claude-sonnet-5 leads) |
gemini-3.6-flash: 12.6% of Google AI Pro (about 72.1% / 5h, 12.6% / 1w) per run. claude-sonnet-5: about 9.7% of Claude Max 20x (about 9.7% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run (estimated: 2 of 15 cells measured no share of their own). Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
| Dimension | gemini-3.6-flash | claude-sonnet-5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 72% | 37% | +35% (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Median task time | 1m 54s | 5m 21s | 3m 27s faster (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.038 / task | $0.005 / task | $0.032 / task lower (claude-sonnet-5 leads) |
gemini-3.6-flash: 0.8% of Google AI Pro (4.9% / 5h, 0.8% / 1w) per good solve. claude-sonnet-5: 0.4% of Claude Max 20x (0.4% / 5h, 0.2% / 1w) per good solve. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Grades and deltas are comparable only within a suite version. See methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for coding, gemini-3.6-flash or claude-sonnet-5?
gemini-3.6-flash clears higher: tier 4 of 5 versus tier 3 for claude-sonnet-5 on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-08-10.