Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Claude Opus 5
Gemini 3.6 Flash was superseded by Gemini 3.8 Flash. Claude Opus 5 was superseded by Claude Opus 5.5. The grades below are the last ones measured, so read them as history rather than as this week's board. See the current roster.
Both grade C overall. Claude Opus 5 is about 1.6x cheaper per task. By suite, real-world issues is even at C- and vibe coding is even at C+. Both agents run the same private suite cut headless through their own tools, each on its own subscription.Measured
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.
Verdict: Claude Opus 5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash
Both grade C overall. By suite: real-world issues is even at C- (60% vs 57% capability); vibe coding is even at C+ (72% vs 72% capability). Only Claude Opus 5 has run spec planning. Gemini 3.6 Flash used 12.6% of Google AI Pro's weekly limit per pass, $0.039 per task at the listed price. Claude Opus 5 used 2% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.024 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Opus 5 is about 1.6x cheaper ($0.024 vs $0.039). Claude Opus 5 is faster on real-world issues: a median task takes 1m 56s against 2m 17s. Both finished every task on it.
Changed since W32: Gemini 3.6 Flash unchanged; Claude Opus 5: real-world issues usage 3% to 1% of the weekly limit.
| Dimension | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Claude Opus 5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 60% | 57% | +3% (Gemini 3.6 Flash leads) |
| Median task time | 2m 17s | 1m 56s | 21s faster (Claude Opus 5 leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.039 / task | $0.015 / task | $0.023 / task lower (Claude Opus 5 leads) |
Gemini 3.6 Flash: 12.6% of Google AI Pro (about 72.1% / 5h, 12.6% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Opus 5: 21.0% of Claude Max 5x (21.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run. Its weekly limit holds about 13.8 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Each figure is a share of that agent's own plan, so there is no delta to draw.
Only Claude Opus 5 has run this suite, so there is no head-to-head yet.
| Dimension | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Claude Opus 5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 72% | 72% | Even |
| Median task time | 1m 54s | 2m 51s | 57s faster (Gemini 3.6 Flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.038 / task | $0.011 / task | $0.027 / task lower (Claude Opus 5 leads) |
Gemini 3.6 Flash: 0.8% of Google AI Pro (4.9% / 5h, 0.8% / 1w) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Opus 5: 1.6% of Claude Max 5x (1.6% / 5h) per good solve. Its weekly limit holds about 13.8 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. 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 Opus 5?
Gemini 3.6 Flash clears higher: tier 4 of 5 versus tier 2 for Claude Opus 5 on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-08-10.
Which is cheaper per task, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Claude Opus 5?
Gemini 3.6 Flash used 12.6% of Google AI Pro's weekly limit per pass, $0.039 per task at the listed price. Claude Opus 5 used 2% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.024 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Opus 5 is about 1.6x cheaper ($0.024 vs $0.039).