Google vs 
OpenAI
Verdict
- Their flagships are level: Gemini 4 Argon 70.7 vs GPT-6 Astra 70.4.
- Google has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- Google's fastest ranked model (Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite, 430 tok/s) beats OpenAI's (GPT-5.4 Mini, 255 tok/s).
- Google publishes more open-weights models (17 vs 3).
- Google ships more often: one model every 15 days against every 22.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | OpenAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Gemma 4 26B A4B 56.2$0.198/M | GPT-6 Luna max 60.0$0.200/M |
| Under $2/M | Gemini 3.8 Flash high 64.4$1.50/M | GPT-6 Luna max 60.0$0.200/M |
| Under $10/M | Gemini 4 Argon high 70.7$4.00/M | GPT-6.1 Sol max 69.9$4.00/M |
| Any price | Gemini 4 Argon high 70.7$4.00/M | GPT-6 Astra max 70.4$20.00/M |
Line-up
| Metric | OpenAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 70.7 | 70.4 |
| Ranked models | 40 | 44 |
| Open-weights models | 17 | 3 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.040 | $0.093 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 430 | 255 |
| Release cadence, days | 15 | 22 |
| Last release | 6 Oct 2026 | 29 Sept 2026 |
| Next expected | 15 Oct 2026 – 27 Oct 2026 | 12 Oct 2026 – 29 Oct 2026 |