Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-OSS 20B (Groq): API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite (Google) and GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) (Groq). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Mar 8, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
Fills in typical token counts for a workload type
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Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) at $2.25/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestGPT-OSS 20B (Groq) | Groq | $2.25 | $0.000225 | $0.75 | $1.50 | 77.5% | Alerts coming soon |
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | $10.00 | $0.001000 | $2.50 | $7.50 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.25/M | $0.08/M | GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) |
| Output | $1.50/M | $0.30/M | GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) |
| Cached input | $0.03/M | $0.04/M | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite |
| Batch input | $0.13/M | N/A | — |
| Batch output | $0.75/M | N/A | — |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-06 – 2026-03-08
Cost Breakdown by Usage Volume
Estimated monthly costs at different request volumes, assuming 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request. Adjust in the calculator above for your specific use case.
| Volume | Gemini 3.1 Flash-LiteMonthly | GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)Monthly | Gemini 3.1 Flash-LitePer request | GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)Per request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $1.00 | $0.22 | $0.001000 | $0.000225 |
| 10K requests/mo | $10.00 | $2.25 | $0.001000 | $0.000225 |
| 100K requests/mo | $100.00 | $22.50 | $0.001000 | $0.000225 |
| 1M requests/mo | $1,000.00 | $225.00 | $0.001000 | $0.000225 |
Green values indicate the lower-cost option at each volume tier. Cost per request is calculated at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens using standard (non-batch, non-cached) pricing.
Price History
Input price per 1M tokensWhen to Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
by Google
- Text classification
- Data extraction
- Customer support
Input / 1M tokens
$0.25/M
Output / 1M tokens
$1.50/M
Context window
1,048,576
Tier
budget
When to Choose GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)
by Groq
- Customer support
- Text classification
- General chatbot
Input / 1M tokens
$0.08/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.30/M
Context window
131,072
Tier
budget
Key Differences Beyond Price
Cost is only one factor in choosing an AI model. Context window size, rate limits, supported features, and latency all affect whether a model fits your use case.
| Capability | Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 65,536 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Performance tier | Budget | Budget |
| Vision / image input | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| JSON mode | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | Yes | Yes |
| Batch API (50% discount) | Yes | No |
| Extended reasoning | No | No |
| Fine-tuning | No | No |
| Rate limit (req/min) | 4,000 | 30 |
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite notes
Preview model. Budget-friendly Gemini 3.1 option with 1M context window.
GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) notes
OpenAI's open-weight MoE model on Groq hardware. Prompt caching available at 50% discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite cheaper than GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) costs $22.50/month versus $100.00/month for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite — a 78% saving. Your actual savings will vary based on your token profile; output-heavy workloads amplify differences in output pricing.
Which model has a larger context window, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has a larger context window at 1,048,576 tokens, compared to 131,072 tokens for GPT-OSS 20B (Groq). A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) support the Batch API?
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)'s standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
Both Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) support prompt caching. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite caches repeated input at $0.03/M (vs $0.25/M standard), while GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) caches at $0.04/M (vs $0.08/M standard). For workloads with large, repeated system prompts or document context, caching can reduce effective input costs by 60–90%.
What are the best use cases for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)?
Both models are well-suited for Text classification, Customer support. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is particularly strong for Data extraction. GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) is favored for General chatbot. At the same quality level, the lower-cost model is usually preferable; use this page's calculator to compare total monthly spend at your volume.
What is the cost per request for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-OSS 20B (Groq)?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $0.001000 per request and GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) costs $0.000225 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $100.00 and $22.50 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs GPT-OSS 20B (Groq): Summary
When comparing Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $22.50/month, compared to $100.00/month for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite charges $0.25/M for input tokens and $1.50/M for output tokens. GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) charges $0.08/M input and $0.30/M output. If your workload is output-heavy (more tokens generated than consumed as input), the model with the lower output price compounds cost savings significantly at scale.
Prompt caching is supported by both models. For workloads with large, repeated system prompts or document context — such as RAG pipelines or multi-turn conversations with a fixed knowledge base — prompt caching can reduce effective input costs by 60–90%, which may change the cost ranking between these two models at your specific usage pattern.
Context window capacity differs between the two: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports up to 1,048,576 tokens in a single request, versus 131,072 tokens for GPT-OSS 20B (Groq). A larger context window is essential for document summarization, large codebase analysis, and multi-document retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.
Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to enter your actual token usage and monthly request volume for a precise cost comparison tailored to your workload. Adjust for batch API discounts and prompt caching to find the most cost-effective option for your specific deployment.
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Relevant Use Cases
See cost recommendations for workloads where Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or GPT-OSS 20B (Groq) is recommended.