Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 5
Gemini 3.6 Flash was superseded by Gemini 3.8 Flash. Claude Sonnet 5 is no longer on the leaderboard. The grades below are the last ones measured, so read them as history rather than as this week's board. See the current roster.
Gemini 3.6 Flash leads overall, C to D. Claude Sonnet 5 is about 1.6x cheaper per task. By suite, Gemini 3.6 Flash takes real-world issues (C- to D+) and vibe coding (C+ to F). Take Claude Sonnet 5 anyway when you want the side that is cheaper per task.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 Sonnet 5 vs Gemini 3.6 Flash
Gemini 3.6 Flash leads overall, C to D. By suite: Gemini 3.6 Flash takes real-world issues, C- to D+ (60% vs 53% capability); Gemini 3.6 Flash takes vibe coding, C+ to F (72% vs 31% capability). Only Claude Sonnet 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 Sonnet 5 used 2% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.024 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Sonnet 5 is about 1.6x cheaper ($0.024 vs $0.039). Gemini 3.6 Flash is faster on real-world issues: a median task takes 2m 17s against 3m 35s. Both finished every task on it. Reasons to pick Claude Sonnet 5 anyway: it is cheaper per task ($0.024 vs $0.039).
Changed since the previous graded week: Gemini 3.6 Flash unchanged; Claude Sonnet 5: vibe coding D+ to F.
| Dimension | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Claude Sonnet 5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 60% | 53% | +7% (Gemini 3.6 Flash leads) |
| Median task time | 2m 17s | 3m 35s | 1m 19s faster (Gemini 3.6 Flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.039 / task | $0.015 / task | $0.023 / 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. Its weekly limit holds 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Sonnet 5: 12.0% of Claude Max 5x (12.0% / 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 Sonnet 5 has run this suite, so there is no head-to-head yet.
| Dimension | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Claude Sonnet 5 | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 72% | 31% | +41% (Gemini 3.6 Flash leads) |
| Median task time | 1m 54s | 4m 31s | 2m 37s faster (Gemini 3.6 Flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.038 / task | $0.007 / task | $0.031 / 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. Its weekly limit holds 6 of the week's 33.6 5h windows. Claude Sonnet 5: 1.0% of Claude Max 5x (1.0% / 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 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.
Which is cheaper per task, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Claude Sonnet 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 Sonnet 5 used 2% of Claude Max 5x's weekly limit per pass, $0.024 per task at the listed price. Per task, Claude Sonnet 5 is about 1.6x cheaper ($0.024 vs $0.039).