Model comparison
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs GPT-4.1 mini
Head-to-head evidence from 14 shared benchmark results across 5 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite unranked (Not scored); GPT-4.1 mini #152 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and GPT-4.1 mini share 14 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 7 results are unique to Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite; 8 to GPT-4.1 mini.
Updated July 21, 2026- Shared results
- 14
- Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite only
- 7
- GPT-4.1 mini only
- 8
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite makes more sense if coding is the priority or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile; GPT-4.1 mini is the better fit if you want the cheaper token bill or you would rather avoid the extra latency and token burn of a reasoning model.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 14 shared benchmark results across 5 evidence categories; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and GPT-4.1 mini finish on the same BenchAlign overall score, so this is less about a single winner and more about where the edge shows up. The BenchAlign headline says tie; the benchmark table is where the real choice happens.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.30 input / $2.50 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.40 input / $1.60 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 mini. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 mini is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | Δ | GPT-4.1 mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite54.2 | Margin← 30.6 | GPT-4.1 mini23.6 |
| Agentic | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite63.4 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 miniNot measured |
| Reasoning | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite72.2 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 miniNot measured |
| Knowledge | Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 mini64.2 |
| Math | Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 mini4.5 |
| Inst. Following | Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 mini88.5 |
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | GPT-4.1 mini | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite$0.3 input / $2.5 output | GPT-4.1 mini$0.4 input / $1.6 output | GPT-4.1 mini has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteNot available | GPT-4.1 mini80 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemini 3.5 Flash-LiteNot available | GPT-4.1 mini0.76 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite1M | GPT-4.1 mini1M | Listed context windows are equal. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | GPT-4.1 mini | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 54% | — | Not comparable |
| OSWorld-VerifiedSource | 74% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 1140 | 503 | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA Agentic IndexSource | 26.8% | 1.7% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| GDPval-AASource | 32.0% | 0.1% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA BriefcaseSource | 634 | — | Not comparable |
| AA Tau3 BankingSource | 16.5% | — | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | — | 52.9% | Not comparable |
CodingGemini 3.5 Flash-Lite wins5 benchmarks
Reasoning3 benchmarks
Knowledge8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | GPT-4.1 mini | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 36.5% | 14.8% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 83.8% | 66.4% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA-HLESource | 17.5% | 4.6% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | 6.9% | -50.1% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 30.3% | 17.5% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 33.5% | 82.0% | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads |
| MMLUSource | — | 87.5% | Not comparable |
| GPQASource | — | 64.2% | Not comparable |
Math1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite | GPT-4.1 mini | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)Source | — | 4.483% | Not comparable |
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or GPT-4.1 mini?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and GPT-4.1 mini are tied on the BenchAlign overall score, so the right pick depends on which category matters most for your use case.
Which is better for coding, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or GPT-4.1 mini?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 54.2 versus 23.6. Inside this category, AA Coding Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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