MiniMax M3 vs Gemini 3 Flash
At a Glance
| Compare |  MiniMax M3MiniMax |  Gemini 3 FlashGoogle DeepMind |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | #35 of 4632.6 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 21.8–55.1 | UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | #3 of 44$0.017 per LiveBench case | UnrankedNot in the 44-model eligible cohort |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | #10 of 3859.2 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 53.8–70.4 | UnrankedNot in the 38-model eligible cohort |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.28Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $0.50Google AI ↗ · Aug 29, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $1.10Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $3.00Google AI ↗ · Aug 29, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 1,049K | 1,049K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 29, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
| Benchmark | MiniMax-M3 | Gemini 3 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Document Arenadocument-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,434.79100% of row best · rating · minimax-m3; 95% CI [1426.53255805, 1443.05504941]; votes 6314; rank 32 | 1,412.9998% of row best · rating · gemini-3-flash; 95% CI [1403.58694998, 1422.40270038]; votes 7158; rank 40 |
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,433.5099% of row best · rating · minimax-m3; 95% CI [1429.31077607, 1437.68800840]; votes 48540; rank 82 | 1,442.40100% of row best · rating · gemini-3-flash (thinking-minimal); 95% CI [1439.30492660, 1445.49388279]; votes 85799; rank 61 |
| LMArena Vision Arenavision-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · statistical tie | 1,254.3199% of row best · rating · minimax-m3; 95% CI [1247.29883203, 1261.32003459]; votes 15192; rank 50 | 1,265.37100% of row best · rating · gemini-3-flash (thinking-minimal); 95% CI [1259.84136462, 1270.89646969]; votes 34860; rank 41 |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above · 1 tie | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner |
Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | MiniMax-M3 | Gemini 3 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | MiniMax | Google DeepMind |
| Family | Minimax M3 | Gemini 3 |
| Model | MiniMax-M3 | Gemini 3 Flash |
| Version | MiniMax-M3 | Gemini 3 Flash |
| Lifecycle | active | preview |
| Released | 2026-06-01 | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image, Video, Audio, Document |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 1,049K | 1,049K |
| Total parameters | 427B | Unknown |
| Active parameters | 23B | Unknown |
| License | other | Unknown |
| Open weights | Yes | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Provider access | Deepinfra (Standard), Fireworks Ai (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard), Together Ai (Standard) | Google AI (Standard), Google Gemini (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, tools | chat, generation, reasoning, tools |
MiniMax M3 Capabilities
Gemini 3 Flash Capabilities
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|---|---|---|---|
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MiniMax-M3MiniMax | vs |  Mistral Large 3Mistral AI | cross-developer peersimage, text |
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
MiniMax M3 vs Gemini 3 Flash FAQs
Is MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both MiniMax M3 and Gemini 3 Flash, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash?+
MiniMax M3 is $0.28 and Gemini 3 Flash is $0.50 per million tokens, so MiniMax M3 is cheaper on this metric. MiniMax M3 is $1.10 and Gemini 3 Flash is $3.00 per million tokens, so MiniMax M3 is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash?+
Neither model has a larger sourced context window in this comparison. MiniMax M3 is 1,049K and Gemini 3 Flash is 1,049K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: An overall winner requires at least two decisive benchmarks from at least two original publishers.
Can MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash be self-hosted?+
MiniMax M3 is the only model in this pair currently marked as self-hostable. MiniMax M3 is open weight; Gemini 3 Flash is not marked open weight.
Can MiniMax M3 and Gemini 3 Flash understand images?+
MiniMax M3 is documented with image input; Gemini 3 Flash is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. MiniMax M3 is — and Gemini 3 Flash is 66K.
Do MiniMax M3 and Gemini 3 Flash support reasoning and tool use?+
MiniMax M3: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Gemini 3 Flash: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash?+
MiniMax M3 has 5 sourced provider routes; Gemini 3 Flash has 2, so MiniMax M3 has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, MiniMax M3 or Gemini 3 Flash?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.