Model comparison
Gemma 4 12B vs Gemma 4 26B A4B
Head-to-head evidence from 15 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Sibling matchup inside the Gemma 4 family.
Public leaderboard positions: Gemma 4 12B #137 (Estimated); Gemma 4 26B A4B #67 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 26B A4B share 15 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 8 results are unique to Gemma 4 12B; 5 to Gemma 4 26B A4B.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 15
- Gemma 4 12B only
- 8
- Gemma 4 26B A4B only
- 5
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Gemma 4 12B makes more sense if knowledge is the priority, while Gemma 4 26B A4B is the cleaner fit if multimodal & grounded is the priority.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 15 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 26B A4B sit in the same Gemma 4 family. This page is less about two unrelated model lineages and more about how the siblings trade off on benchmark shape, token costs, and practical limits like context window.
Gemma 4 26B A4B is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 57.96 to 47.29. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Gemma 4 26B A4B's sharpest advantage is in multimodal & grounded, where it averages 73.8 against 69.1. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is MMLU-Pro, 77.2% to 82.6%. Gemma 4 12B does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | Gemma 4 12B | Δ | Gemma 4 26B A4B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 34.1 | Gemma 4 26B A4B43.4 |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 12B69.1 | Margin→ 4.7 | Gemma 4 26B A4B73.8 |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 12B43.4 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot measured |
| Math | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 77.2%B 82.6%Winner: Gemma 4 26B A4BΔ 5.4MMLU-Pro: Gemma 4 12B scored 77.2%; Gemma 4 26B A4B scored 82.6%. Gemma 4 26B A4B wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMMU-Pro
MultimodalA 69.1%B 73.8%Winner: Gemma 4 26B A4BΔ 4.7MMMU-Pro: Gemma 4 12B scored 69.1%; Gemma 4 26B A4B scored 73.8%. Gemma 4 26B A4B wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 26B A4B$0 input / $0 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 12B256K | Gemma 4 26B A4B256K | Listed context windows are equal. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic4 benchmarks
Coding2 benchmarks
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGemma 4 12B wins12 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 78.8% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQA-DSource | 78.8% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 77.2% | 82.6% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 5.2% | 8.7% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| MMMLUSource | 83.4% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 22.0% | 25.7% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 75.3% | 79.2% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-HLESource | 14.8% | 18.3% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -51.9% | -48.1% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 16.0% | 18.2% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.8% | 80.9% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| HLESource | — | 17.2% | Not comparable |
Math1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIME26Source | 77.5% | — | Not comparable |
MultimodalGemma 4 26B A4B wins4 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 73.5% | 72.4% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 26B A4B are sibling variants in the Gemma 4 family, so the right pick depends on whether you value the better benchmark line, cheaper tokens, or the larger context window. Gemma 4 26B A4B is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard 57.96 to 47.29.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 43.4. Inside this category, MMLU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for multimodal and grounded tasks, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Gemma 4 26B A4B has the edge for multimodal and grounded tasks in this comparison, averaging 73.8 versus 69.1. Inside this category, MMMU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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