ModelRefs / Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 4
Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 4
Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 4: side-by-side benchmarks, pricing, context windows, coding ability and deployment. Pick the right model for your stack.
Overview
Claude Sonnet 4: Claude Sonnet 4 is Anthropic's May 2025 hybrid-reasoning model for coding, visual reasoning, tool use, and agent workflows. The dated claude-sonnet-4-20250514 snapshot was retired on Anthropic-operated platforms on June 15, 2026 and is retained as a historical evaluation and migration reference.
Gemini 2.5 Flash: Gemini 2.5 Flash is Google DeepMind's price-performance model for low-latency, high-volume work that still needs reasoning, with thinking supported. It accepts text, image, audio and video input across a 1,048,576-token context window, returns up to 65,536 tokens, and carries a January 2025 knowledge cutoff. Google now limits access to existing users while keeping the model served.
Context window: Claude Sonnet 4 accepts up to 200,000 tokens, Gemini 2.5 Flash up to 1,000,000. Confirm the limit for your specific deployment channel before relying on it.
Claude Sonnet 4 vs Gemini 2.5 Flash at a glance
| Attribute | Claude Sonnet 4 | Gemini 2.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Anthropic | |
| Released | 2025-05-22 | 2025-06-17 |
| Context window | 200,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Input price | $3/M tokens | $0.075/M tokens |
| Output price | $15/M tokens | $0.3/M tokens |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Self-hostable | No, hosted only | No, hosted only |
| Modalities | text, vision | text, vision, audio |
Benchmarks reported for both
| Benchmark | Claude Sonnet 4 | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (accuracy) | 75.4 | 82.8 | 2025-05-22 |
Each row compares the same benchmark, the same reported metric, and the same task set. Scores are as published by their cited sources on the dates shown. Different runs still use different harnesses and prompts, so treat these as directional evidence rather than a head-to-head result.
Where they differ most
- Cost Efficiency: Claude Sonnet 4 37%, Gemini 2.5 Flash 95%. Gemini 2.5 Flash leads on this dimension.
- Reasoning: Claude Sonnet 4 73%, Gemini 2.5 Flash 86%. Gemini 2.5 Flash leads on this dimension.
Capability scores are ModelRefs' own derived signals, not vendor claims or benchmark results. Validate against your own workload before relying on them.
Continue your research
Use these connected ModelRefs sections to compare alternatives, inspect implementation paths, and review the evidence and governance boundaries relevant to Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Claude Sonnet 4.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Gemini 2.5 Flash or Claude Sonnet 4?
Gemini 2.5 Flash and Claude Sonnet 4 target different workloads — see the benchmark and pricing tables for a side-by-side answer.
Is Gemini 2.5 Flash cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4?
Compare $0.00007 vs $0.00300 on this page.