The development and research of gear pairs have long been focused on meeting the needs for higher load-bearing capacity and lower weight. However, speed and low production costs are also critical parameters in industrial gear manufacturing. To ensure the quality of gear pairs alongside all of the aforementioned factors, it is necessary to perform optimization and strive to appropriate software and specific methods to meet the requirements of today's industry. In this study, an analytical calculation of gear pairs with certain constraints was performed, followed by a numerical analysis of gear pairs using different materials. The selected materials for gear pairs are steel, aluminum alloy and aluminum nanocomposite with the aim of obtaining information about the optimal material choice for gear pairs in the early stages of design. Finally, a comparison and analysis of the applied aluminum alloy and aluminum nanocomposites with steel gear pairs was performed.