GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Reka Flash
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAIBudget model for simple tasks. Being phased out but still widely used.
| Input | $0.500/M |
| Output | $1.50/M |
| Context | 16K tokens |
| Best For | Simple chatbots, basic text generation |
| Benchmark | 40/100 |
Reka Flash
RekaReka's fast multimodal model. Compact and efficient for high-volume tasks with vision capability.
| Input | $0.200/M |
| Output | $0.800/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, vision + text, cost optimization |
| Benchmark | 40/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Reka Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40 | 40 | GPT-3.5 Turbo leads by 0pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 32 | 32 | GPT-3.5 Turbo leads by 0pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 42 | 42 | GPT-3.5 Turbo leads by 0pts |
| HumanEval | 62 | 62 | GPT-3.5 Turbo leads by 0pts |
| BigCodeBench | 26 | 26 | GPT-3.5 Turbo leads by 0pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Reka Flash | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.06 | $0.03 | Reka Flash saves $0.03 (50%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.48 | $0.23 | Reka Flash saves $0.24 (52%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $2.38 | $1.15 | Reka Flash saves $1.22 (52%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.13 | $0.06 | Reka Flash saves $0.07 (56%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-3.5 Turbo | 40 | $0.013/pt | Better value |
| Reka Flash | 40 | $0.025/pt | Higher cost per point |
GPT-3.5 Turbo delivers the best value at $0.013 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-3.5 Turbo
- + Ultra-cheap
- + Very fast
- - Basic coding only
Reka Flash
- + Multimodal
- + Fast
- - Basic coding
- - Niche provider
Verdict
Reka Flash is cheaper at $0.200/M, but GPT-3.5 Turbo scores higher on benchmarks (40 vs 40).
Choose Reka Flash for cost-sensitive projects, GPT-3.5 Turbo when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
Claude Sonnet 4
AnthropicAnthropic's balanced model for coding and general tasks. Best price-performance ratio in the Claude family.
Claude Opus 4
AnthropicAnthropic's most powerful model. Best for complex reasoning and challenging coding tasks.
Claude 3.5 Sonnet
AnthropicPrevious generation Sonnet. Still excellent for coding tasks at the same price point.
Claude 3.5 Haiku
AnthropicFast, cost-effective model for high-volume tasks. Great for code review and simple queries.
Claude 3 Opus
AnthropicFirst generation Opus. Highest reasoning capability in the Claude 3 family.
Claude 3 Sonnet
AnthropicFirst generation Sonnet. Balanced performance for general tasks.