Last verified 2025-09-22 (left) · 2025-09-22 (right)
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs o4-mini — Pricing & Capability Comparison
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite charges $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.40 per million output tokens. o4-mini comes in at $1.10 / $4.40. Context windows span 1M vs 200K tokens respectively.
TL;DR — Quick Comparison
- ✓Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is cheaper overall: $0.50 per 1M tokens (in+out) vs $5.50 for o4-mini — saves $5.00 per 1M tokens
- ✓Input pricing: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite $0.10/1M vs o4-mini $1.10/1M
- ✓Output pricing: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite $0.40/1M vs o4-mini $4.40/1M
- ✓Context window: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite offers more (1M vs 200K)
- ✓Use our calculator below to estimate costs for your specific usage pattern
Input price (per 1M)
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
$0.10
o4-mini
$1.10
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite leads here
Output price (per 1M)
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
$0.40
o4-mini
$4.40
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite leads here
Context window
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
1,000,000 tokens
o4-mini
200,000 tokens
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite leads here
Cached input
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Not published
o4-mini
Not published
No published data
Cost comparison for 10K-token workloads
Side-by-side pricing for identical workloads (10,000 total tokens per request) across different distributions.
| Scenario | Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | o4-mini |
|---|---|---|
Balanced conversation 50% input · 50% output | $0.0025 | $0.0275 |
Input-heavy workflow 80% input · 20% output | $0.0016 | $0.0176 |
Generation heavy 30% input · 70% output | $0.0031 | $0.0341 |
Cached system prompt 90% cached input · 10% fresh output | $0.0013 | $0.0143 |
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite or o4-mini?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is cheaper for input tokens at $0.10 per 1M tokens compared to $1.10. For output, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.40 per 1M tokens versus $4.40 for o4-mini.
What is the cost per 1M tokens for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite pricing: $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.40 per 1M output tokens. Context window: 1,000,000 tokens.
What is the cost per 1M tokens for o4-mini?
o4-mini pricing: $1.10 per 1M input tokens and $4.40 per 1M output tokens. Context window: 200,000 tokens.
How much does it cost per 1K tokens?
Per 1K tokens: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.0001 input / $0.0004 output. o4-mini costs $0.0011 input / $0.0044 output. This is useful for calculating small-scale usage costs.
Which model supports a larger context window?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite offers 1,000,000 tokens (1M) versus 200K for o4-mini.
What is the estimated monthly cost for typical usage?
For a typical workload of 10M input + 2M output tokens per month: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite would cost approximately $1.80, while o4-mini would cost $19.80. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is more economical for this usage pattern.
Do these models support prompt caching?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite does not publish cached pricing. o4-mini does not publish cached pricing.
Which model is best for my use case?
Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite for cost-sensitive applications with high input volume. Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite if you need 1M context for long documents or conversations. Consider prompt caching if you have repeated context. Use our token calculator to model your specific usage pattern.