Model comparison
Gemma 4 12B vs GPT-4.1
Head-to-head evidence from 13 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: Gemma 4 12B #137 (Estimated); GPT-4.1 #108 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 12B and GPT-4.1 share 13 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 10 results are unique to Gemma 4 12B; 7 to GPT-4.1.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 13
- Gemma 4 12B only
- 10
- GPT-4.1 only
- 7
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick GPT-4.1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Gemma 4 12B only becomes the better choice if mathematics is the priority or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 13 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
GPT-4.1 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 51.11 to 47.29. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Gemma 4 12B is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. GPT-4.1 gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 256K for Gemma 4 12B.
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 | GPT-4.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 73.4 | GPT-4.14.1 |
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 11.2 | GPT-4.166.3 |
| Coding | Gemma 4 12BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.154.6 |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 12B43.4 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1Not measured |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 12B69.1 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1Not measured |
| Inst. Following | Gemma 4 12BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.187.4 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 78.8%B 66.3%Winner: Gemma 4 12BΔ 12.5GPQA: Gemma 4 12B scored 78.8%; GPT-4.1 scored 66.3%. Gemma 4 12B wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemma 4 12B | GPT-4.1 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-4.1$2 input / $8 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-4.1108 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-4.11.02 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 12B256K | GPT-4.11M | GPT-4.1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic2 benchmarks
Coding2 benchmarks
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGemma 4 12B wins12 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | GPT-4.1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 78.8% | 66.3% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| GPQA-DSource | 78.8% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 77.2% | — | Not comparable |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 5.2% | — | Not comparable |
| MMMLUSource | 83.4% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 22.0% | 19.4% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 75.3% | 66.6% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-HLESource | 14.8% | 4.6% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -51.9% | -36.2% | GPT-4.1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 16.0% | 24.2% | GPT-4.1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.8% | 79.6% | GPT-4.1 leads |
| MMLUSource | — | 90.2% | Not comparable |
MathGemma 4 12B wins3 benchmarks
Multimodal5 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-4.1?
GPT-4.1 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 51.11 to 47.29. The biggest single separator in this matchup is GPQA, where the scores are 78.8% and 66.3%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-4.1?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 66.3. Inside this category, AA-Omniscience Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-4.1?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 4.1. GPT-4.1 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
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