Gemini 3 Pro
Best Value8.8
out of 10
Google's frontier model and the best value at the top tier. At $2/$12 per 1M tokens via the API, Gemini 3 Pro undercuts both Claude and GPT-5.2 while matching them on most benchmarks. The 1M token context window and Google Workspace integration are hard to beat.
Context window
1.0M tokens
API (blended)
$4.50/1M
Consumer access
Free
Multimodal
Yes
Strengths
- +1M token context window — best of any closed-source model
- +Cheapest frontier API at $4.50/1M blended (vs $4.81 for GPT-5.2, $6.00 for Claude)
- +Free via Google AI Studio with usable rate limits
- +Native video, audio, and image understanding
- +Built into Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Sheets)
Weaknesses
- -Writing quality and tone control slightly behind Claude
- -Less developer-focused ecosystem than OpenAI
- -Longer prompts (>200K tokens) billed at 2× — 1M context gets expensive
Best for
long documentsvideo analysisGoogle Workspace usersbudget frontier API useresearch
Not ideal for
creative writing nuancevery long context at scale (pricing penalty kicks in)
Pricing details
Subscription plans
Free (gemini.google.com)Gemini 3 Pro access via web and mobile, no hard cap for typical use(May be slower during peak demand; some advanced features locked)
FreeGoogle One AI PremiumGemini Advanced (higher capability), 2TB Google Drive, Gemini in Gmail/Docs/Sheets
$20/moAPI pricing
Google AI Studiofree tierFree tier for developers: rate-limited (60 req/min). Not a consumer product — for API testing and development only. Paid: $2/$12 per 1M tokens. Prompts >200K tokens billed at 2×.
$2/$12Google Vertex AIEnterprise tier — same base pricing, SLA available. Committed use discounts available.
$2/$12OpenRouterSmall markup over direct Google pricing.
$2.1/$12.5Prices verified February 2026. LLM pricing changes frequently — verify at the provider's site before budgeting.
Last updated: February 2026