AI Models · Open-Source vs Paid

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL Open vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Paid

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview compared — price per token, context window, multimodality, openness and which to choose. Can the open-source model replace the paid one? Full 2026 breakdown.

Prices & specs refreshed from live data · olud.ai

Open-model prices = cheapest provider via OpenRouter; official maker rates may be higher.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VLOpenNVIDIA
$0.15 /M input
$0.5 /M outputNo per-token fees if you self-host
TypeOpen-weight
Context window1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostYes
Gemini 3.1 Pro PreviewPaidGoogle
$2 /M input
$12 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostNo
Choose Nemotron 3.5 Super VL if you want to self-host, keep your data private and skip per-token fees — it's open-weight and runs on your own hardware. Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview if you want frontier capability through a managed API with zero infrastructure to run.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview specs

SpecNemotron 3.5 Super VLGemini 3.1 Pro PreviewWinner
MakerNVIDIAGoogle–
TypeOpen-weightProprietaryNemotron 3.5 Super VL
Context window1M tokens1M tokens= Tie
Input price$0.15/M · free self-host$2/MNemotron 3.5 Super VL
Output price$0.5/M · free self-host$12/MNemotron 3.5 Super VL
Vision / multimodalYesYes= Tie
Tool / function callingYesYes= Tie
Self-hostableYesNo (API only)Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
LicenseNVIDIA Open ModelProprietaryNemotron 3.5 Super VL

Price gap & when to choose each

24×cheaper per output token

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL is ~24× cheaper than Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview on output tokens ($0.5 vs $12 per M tokens).

Choose Nemotron 3.5 Super VL if…
  • You want to self-host or run on your cloud
  • You prioritize data privacy & control
  • You want the lowest operating costs
  • You are building open or reproducible AI
Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure

Feature comparison

CapabilityNemotron 3.5 Super VLGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Open weights (downloadable)✓✗
Self-hostable✓✗
Runs fully offline✓✗
Vision / multimodal✓✓
Tool / function calling✓✓
1M+ context window✓✓

Benchmarks: Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview

Independent benchmark scores measured by Artificial Analysis. Higher is better (except latency).

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL delivers 13× more intelligence per dollar.
Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Intelligence index
26.5
29.7
Humanity's Last Exam
30.7%
47%
Long Context Reasoning
69%
82%
SciCode
47.8%
58.7%
Coding index
–
68.8
GPQA
–
94.1%
IFBench
–
77.1%
τ²-Bench
–
95.6%
τ-Bench Banking
–
21.4%
Terminal-Bench
–
73.8%
Terminal-Bench Hard
–
53.8%
Speed
456.5 tok/s
135.7 tok/s
Latency
0.51s
16.61s
Intelligence per $
84.7
6.6

Benchmark data by Artificial Analysis.

How Nemotron 3.5 Super VL and Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview score

🏆 Best value & openness: Nemotron 3.5 Super VL (5.0 vs 3.2 / 5)
CriterionNemotron 3.5 Super VLGemini 3.1 Pro Preview
Cost-efficiency5.03.5
Context window5.05.0
Openness5.01.5
Self-hosting5.01.0
Multimodality5.05.0

Scores come from live data — output price (cost), context length, open vs closed weights (openness & self-hosting) and vision/tool support (multimodality). Raw task quality isn't scored here; it depends on your benchmark — see the verdict.

What each model is

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL Open

NVIDIA · Open-weight

NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Super VL is an open multimodal mixture-of-experts model from NVIDIA, with 12B active parameters out of 120B total. It takes text, images, documents, GUI screenshots, and video...

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Paid

Google · Proprietary

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is Google’s frontier reasoning model, delivering enhanced software engineering performance, improved agentic reliability, and more efficient token usage across complex workflows. Building on the multimodal foundation.

Other models in these families

These variants are tracked but not compared here — one page per family keeps the comparison readable.

Other variants tracked
Nemotron 3.5 Super VL (free)Nemotron 3 UltraNemotron 3 Ultra (free)Nemotron 3.5 LightningNemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)Nemotron 3 SuperNemotron 3 Nano Omni (free)Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3BNemotron 3.5 Content SafetyNemotron 3.5 Content Safety (free)
Other variants tracked
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview (batch)Gemini 2.5 ProNano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Frequently asked questions

Is Nemotron 3.5 Super VL as good as Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview?

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL is open-weight and competitive on many tasks, but Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview may still lead on the hardest reasoning and agentic work. The gap keeps narrowing — benchmark both on your actual use case before deciding.

Can I run Nemotron 3.5 Super VL locally?

Yes. Nemotron 3.5 Super VL has open weights, so you can self-host it on your own GPUs or run it via a low-cost API. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview is API-only and cannot be self-hosted.

How much cheaper is Nemotron 3.5 Super VL?

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL costs $0.5/M output vs $12/M for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview — roughly 24x cheaper via API, and free if you self-host.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview — which should I pick in 2026?

Choose Nemotron 3.5 Super VL if you want to self-host, keep your data private and skip per-token fees — it's open-weight and runs on your own hardware. Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview if you want frontier capability through a managed API with zero infrastructure to run.

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