Gemini 3 Flash Preview vs Nova 2.0 Lite
Wins 6 of 7 areas
Coding · Agents · Reasoning · Images and charts · Long documents · Following instructions
Wins 1 of 7 areas
Facts
Gemini 3 Flash Preview is the stronger all-rounder.Nova 2.0 Lite is cheaper and better at facts.
Scores updated · 22 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the seven areas where both have results. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- CodingWriting and fixing software30Gemini 3 Flash Preview3 of 3 tests
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking30Gemini 3 Flash Preview3 of 3 tests
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own20Gemini 3 Flash Preview2 of 2 tests
- Images and chartsUnderstanding pictures, charts and video10Gemini 3 Flash Preview1 of 1 test
- Long documentsFinding answers in very long texts10Gemini 3 Flash Preview1 of 1 test
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked10Gemini 3 Flash Preview1 of 1 test
- FactsGetting facts right instead of making them up12Nova 2.0 Lite2 of 3 tests
Images and charts, long documents and following instructions rest on a single test each.
What it costs
Prices per million tokens, roughly 750,000 words. The bars show the cost of a million tokens read plus a million written.
Nova 2.0 Lite costs 20% less for the same work.
The biggest differences
The tests each model wins by the widest margin, up to three each. Scores are out of 100.
Where Gemini 3 Flash Preview pulls ahead
- Command-line tasks in a real terminalTerminal-Bench 2.1+41.9points ahead
- Answers hard knowledge questions correctlyAA-Omniscience · Accuracy+34.4points ahead
- Very hard expert questions across many subjectsHumanity's Last Exam+25points ahead
Where Nova 2.0 Lite pulls ahead
- Avoids making up answers it doesn't knowAA-Omniscience · Non-hallucination+1.6points ahead
Every test, side by side
All 22 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
CodingGemini 3 Flash Preview
- Terminal-Bench 2.1Gemini 3 Flash Preview by 41.95816.1+41.9
- Terminal-Bench HardGemini 3 Flash Preview by 21.938.616.7+21.9
- SciCodeGemini 3 Flash Preview by 13.750.636.9+13.7
AgentsGemini 3 Flash Preview
- GDPValGemini 3 Flash Preview by 35.235.20+35.2
- τ-Bench V3 · BankingGemini 3 Flash Preview by 1420.86.8+14
ReasoningGemini 3 Flash Preview
- Humanity's Last ExamGemini 3 Flash Preview by 2536.611.6+25
- GPQA DiamondGemini 3 Flash Preview by 8.789.881.1+8.7
- CritPtGemini 3 Flash Preview by 8.38.60.3+8.3
FactsNova 2.0 Lite
- AA-Omniscience · AccuracyGemini 3 Flash Preview by 34.453.419+34.4
- Vectara HHEM hallucination ratelower is betterNova 2.0 Lite by 8.413.55.1+8.4
- AA-Omniscience · Non-hallucinationNova 2.0 Lite by 1.678.6+1.6
Images and chartsGemini 3 Flash Preview
- MMMU-ProGemini 3 Flash Preview by 16.179.963.8+16.1
Long documentsGemini 3 Flash Preview
- AA-LCRGemini 3 Flash Preview by 17.77860.3+17.7
Following instructionsGemini 3 Flash Preview
- IFBenchGemini 3 Flash Preview by 7.37870.7+7.3
Other results8 tests, not counted
Tests outside the eight areas. They are not counted above: several are summary scores built from other tests, or the same test under another name.
- AA-OmniscienceGemini 3 Flash Preview by 65.110.1-55+65.1
- AA Agentic IndexGemini 3 Flash Preview by 46.649.73.1+46.6
- Artificial Analysis Coding IndexGemini 3 Flash Preview by 19.642.623+19.6
- AA IntelligenceGemini 3 Flash Preview by 12.926.313.4+12.9
- vectara_factual_consistencyNova 2.0 Lite by 8.486.594.9+8.4
- τ²-Bench Telecom (AA run)Gemini 3 Flash Preview by 7.680.472.8+7.6
- vectara_avg_summary_lengthNova 2.0 Lite by 3.990.294.1+3.9
- vectara_answer_ratetie99.899.6tie
Questions people ask
Which is better, Gemini 3 Flash Preview or Nova 2.0 Lite?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview wins six of the seven areas where both have results: coding, agents, reasoning, images and charts, long documents and following instructions. Nova 2.0 Lite wins facts, and costs 20% less.
Which is better for coding?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview. It wins 3 of the 3 coding tests both models report; Nova 2.0 Lite wins none.
Which is cheaper?
Gemini 3 Flash Preview costs $0.50 per million input tokens and $3.00 per million output tokens; Nova 2.0 Lite costs $0.30 and $2.50. That makes Nova 2.0 Lite about 20% cheaper for the same work.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 22 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 14 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 8 are listed but not counted, because several are summary scores or repeat a test. Each score is the one shown on the model's own page.