Gemini 3.5 Flash vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Pricing, context window and real answers (August 2026)
Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google) and GPT-5.6 Terra (OpenAI), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 Gemini 3.5 Flash |  GPT-5.6 Terra | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥268.05 | ¥357.4 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥1,608.3 | ¥2,144.4 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥1,072 | ¥1,430 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Release date | 5/19/2026 | 7/9/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, video, file, audio | file, image, text |
| Arena · overall | #18 · ELO 1,476 | #34 · ELO 1,468 |
| Arena · Japanese | #20 · ELO 1,456 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #45 · ELO 1,507 | #22 · ELO 1,521 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Gemini 3.5 Flash: ¥1,608.3 per 1M output tokens, 25% less than GPT-5.6 Terra.
- On the Overall arena board, Gemini 3.5 Flash ranks higher (#18; GPT-5.6 Terra is #34).
- On the Coding arena board, GPT-5.6 Terra ranks higher (#22; Gemini 3.5 Flash is #45).
- For long documents, GPT-5.6 Terra: a 1,050,000-token context window against 1,048,576 for Gemini 3.5 Flash.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Gemini 3.5 Flash
There are **3** 'r's in the word "strawberry".
Here is the step-by-step breakdown of how to count them:
1. **Break the word down into its individual letters:**
* 1st letter: **s**
* 2nd letter: **t**
* 3rd letter: **r** (First 'r')
* 4th letter: **a**
* 5th letter: **w**
* 6th letter: **b**
* 7th letter: **e**
* 8th letter: **r** (Second 'r')
* 9th letter: **r** (Third 'r')
* 10th letter: **y**
2. **Identify and count only the 'r's:**
* s - t - **r** (1) - a - w - b - e - **r** (2) - **r** (3) - y
By counting them as we go through the word, we find a total of **3** 'r's.
4.8s601 output tokens
GPT-5.6 Terra
“strawberry” is spelled:
s t **r** a w b e **r** **r** y
There are **3** occurrences of the letter **r**.
3.6s71 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Gemini 3.5 Flash
### What is causing this error?
The error `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` means that your `UserList` component is trying to call `.map()` on the `users` variable, but **`users` is currently `undefined`**.
This usually happens for one of two reasons:
1. **The parent component forgot to pass the prop:** `<UserList />` was rendered without the `users` attribute.
2. **Asynchronous data fetching:** The parent component fetches the users from an API, but the API request hasn't finished yet when the component first renders, so `users` starts as `undefined`.
---
### How to fix it
Here are the three best ways to fix this, depending on how you want your UI to beh…
11.2s1524 output tokens
GPT-5.6 Terra
The error means `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so React tries to evaluate:
```js
users.map(...)
```
But `.map()` only exists on arrays.
Common causes:
- The parent component does not pass a `users` prop.
- The user data is loaded asynchronously and has not arrived on the first render.
- The API response shape differs from what you expect, e.g. data is in `response.data.users` rather than `response.data`.
- The parent initializes its user state as `undefined` or `null`.
## Fix options
### 1. Initialize users as an empty array
In the parent component:
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState([]);
```
Then pass it normally:
```jsx
<UserList users={users} />
```
An e…
5.8s559 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Here is a review of your function, followed by two improved versions (one that keeps your structure but makes it Pythonic, and one production-ready version that uses industry best practices).
---
### Key Areas for Improvement
1. **Imports inside the function:** `import requests` and `import time` should be at the top of the file (PEP 8). Keeping them inside the function slows down execution if the function is called repeatedly.
2. **Bare `except:` clause:** Using `except:` without specifying an exception type is a major anti-pattern. It catches things you don't want to catch, like `KeyboardInterrupt` (Ctrl+C) or `SystemExit`. It should target `requests.RequestException`.
3. **Implicit `Tr…
19.7s2975 output tokens
GPT-5.6 Terra
Here are the main areas to improve:
### Issues in the original code
- **Imports inside the function**: Move `requests` and `time` imports to module scope.
- **Bare `except:`**: This catches everything, including `KeyboardInterrupt` and programming errors. Catch `requests.RequestException` (and possibly JSON decoding errors) instead.
- **Status code check**: Prefer `response.raise_for_status()` or `response.ok` over manually checking only for `200`. Successful responses can include other 2xx status codes.
- **`== True`**: Use `if item.get("active"):` instead.
- **Potential `KeyError`**: `item["name"]`, `item["id"]`, and `item["active"]` can fail if the API response is incomplete. Use `.get(…
10.6s939 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.5 Flash or GPT-5.6 Terra?
- Per 1M output tokens, Gemini 3.5 Flash is ¥1,608.3 and GPT-5.6 Terra is ¥2,144.4 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Gemini 3.5 Flash is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Gemini 3.5 Flash and GPT-5.6 Terra compare?
- Gemini 3.5 Flash takes 1,048,576 tokens; GPT-5.6 Terra takes 1,050,000.
- Which ranks higher, Gemini 3.5 Flash or GPT-5.6 Terra?
- Gemini 3.5 Flash ranks higher on the public arena (Gemini 3.5 Flash #20, GPT-5.6 Terra #34). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use Gemini 3.5 Flash and GPT-5.6 Terra with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "gemini-3.5-flash" or "gpt-5.6-terra" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Gemini 3.5 Flash and GPT-5.6 Terra from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.