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% | 50% | +10% (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Median task time | 2m 17s | 4m 22s | 2m 5s faster (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.039 / task | $0.005 / task | $0.033 / 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: 6.0% of Claude Max 20x (6.0% / 5h, 1.0% / 1w) per run. 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% | 34% | +37% (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Median task time | 1m 54s | 5m 17s | 3m 23s faster (gemini-3.6-flash leads) |
| Approx. task cost | $0.038 / task | $0.008 / task | $0.029 / 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: 0.6% of Claude Max 20x (0.6% / 5h) 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 2 for claude-sonnet-5 on real-world@v3, our private suite of real-world coding problems. Latest measurement 2026-08-10.