Gemini 3.1 Pro vs Gemini 3 Pro: Is the Upgrade Worth It? (2026)
Gemini 3.1 Pro and Gemini 3 Pro share the same pricing ($2/$12 per 1M tokens), the same 1M token context window, and the same Google infrastructure. The 3.1 upgrade is purely about reasoning and agentic capability — and the differences are larger than a .1 version bump usually implies.
Last updated: February 2026
Our Pick
Gemini 3.1 Pro
Gemini 3.1 Pro is the clear choice whenever it is available. At the same price and the same context window, it scores #1 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (57 vs 48.44 for Gemini 3 Pro) and leads on nearly every benchmark where it competes. The one real reason to stay on Gemini 3 Pro is availability — 3.1 Pro is still in preview as of February 2026 and carries slightly higher latency (29.96s time to first token vs faster Gemini 3 Pro response times). For production workloads where real-time response matters, Gemini 3 Pro may be the safer choice until 3.1 Pro reaches general availability.
Try Gemini 3.1 ProAt a glance
| Feature | Gemini 3.1 Pro | Gemini 3 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 9.0 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
| Provider | ||
| Context window | 1M tokens | 1M tokens |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $2 | Free |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $12 | Free |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | No |
Use case breakdown
ARC-AGI-2: 77.1% vs 31.1% — more than doubled. This is the headline result. For tasks requiring novel logic, multi-step reasoning, or abstract problem-solving, 3.1 Pro is in a different tier.
APEX-Agents: 33.5% vs 18.4% — nearly doubled. MCP Atlas: 69.2% vs 54.1%. BrowseComp: 85.9% vs 59.2%. Across every agentic benchmark, 3.1 Pro is substantially better.
SWE-Bench Verified: 80.6% vs 76.2%. LiveCodeBench Pro Elo: 2887 vs 2439. Both are real improvements. 3.1 Pro also adds a dedicated custom-tools API endpoint.
GPQA Diamond: 94.3% vs 91.9%. Humanity's Last Exam: 44.4% vs 37.5%. 3.1 Pro leads on every scientific reasoning benchmark.
Both cost exactly $2/$12 per 1M tokens (≤200K context). This is genuinely a tie — but 3 Pro is fully GA, while 3.1 Pro carries preview-status risk. For stable production cost budgeting, 3 Pro is the known quantity.
Gemini 3.1 Pro's time to first token is 29.96s — high for a reasoning model. Gemini 3 Pro responds significantly faster. For streaming interfaces, chatbots, or anything where latency matters, stay on 3 Pro until 3.1 Pro's latency improves.
FAQ
Is Gemini 3.1 Pro better than Gemini 3 Pro?
Yes, significantly. It scores 57 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index vs 48.44 for Gemini 3 Pro — an 18% improvement. Its ARC-AGI-2 abstract reasoning score more than doubled (77.1% vs 31.1%), and it leads on agentic, coding, and scientific benchmarks. At the same price, it is a clear capability upgrade.
Is Gemini 3.1 Pro the same price as Gemini 3 Pro?
Yes. Both are $2/1M input tokens and $12/1M output tokens (for prompts under 200K tokens). Over 200K tokens, both are billed at $4/$18 per 1M. Google maintained the same pricing for the upgrade.
Should I switch from Gemini 3 Pro to Gemini 3.1 Pro?
For API-based applications, yes — same cost, meaningfully better capability. The main caveat is that 3.1 Pro is still in preview as of February 2026 and carries a 29.96s time to first token, which is high for interactive use cases. If you run batch workloads or agentic pipelines where latency is less critical, switch now.
What is the context window for Gemini 3.1 Pro?
1,048,576 tokens — identical to Gemini 3 Pro. Both models support up to 1M tokens of input, covering approximately 1,500 A4 pages of text.