Claude Sonnet 4.6 vs Gemini 3.1 Pro: API Pricing
Input and output token rates, context windows, and real monthly cost for Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) and Gemini 3.1 Pro (Google), side by side. Prices are standard on-demand rates as of June 2026.
The short answer
For a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month), Gemini 3.1 Pro is the cheaper option at $264/mo versus $360/mo for Claude Sonnet 4.6 - about 27% less. On the headline sticker of 1M input + 1M output, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00 and Gemini 3.1 Pro is $14.00.
Rates at a glance
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/1M tokens) | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Output ($/1M tokens) | $15.00 | $12.00 |
| Blended (1M in + 1M out) | $18.00 | $14.00 |
| Context window | 1,000K | 1,000K |
| Type | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Provider | Anthropic |
Monthly cost by workload
Estimated monthly API spend at each workload's token volume. Output usually costs several times input, so the winner can flip with your mix.
| Workload | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot / assistant 10M in / 3M out | $75.00/mo | $56.00/mo | Gemini 3.1 Pro |
| Coding agent 60M in / 12M out | $360/mo | $264/mo | Gemini 3.1 Pro |
| RAG / summarization 40M in / 4M out | $180/mo | $128/mo | Gemini 3.1 Pro |
| Batch / classification 20M in / 2M out | $90.00/mo | $64.00/mo | Gemini 3.1 Pro |
Want your own in/out split? Use the full interactive comparator to rank every model and provider for your exact workload.
Frequently asked questions
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Gemini 3.1 Pro cheaper?
It depends on your input/output mix, but for a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month) Gemini 3.1 Pro costs $264/mo versus $360/mo for Claude Sonnet 4.6 - about 27% less. On the headline sticker (1M input + 1M output), Claude Sonnet 4.6 is $18.00 and Gemini 3.1 Pro is $14.00.
What are the token rates for Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 (Anthropic) is $3.00 per 1M input and $15.00 per 1M output. Gemini 3.1 Pro (Google) is $2.00 per 1M input and $12.00 per 1M output. These are standard on-demand rates, not cached or batch.
Is Claude Sonnet 4.6 or Gemini 3.1 Pro open-weight?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 is proprietary and Gemini 3.1 Pro is proprietary. Both are closed models billed only through their owner's API.
What context window do Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Gemini 3.1 Pro support?
Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 1,000K tokens and Gemini 3.1 Pro supports 1,000K tokens. Some models also step up pricing past a size threshold - check the source pricing pages for long-context tiers.
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