Model comparison
Gemma 4 12B vs GPT-4.1 mini
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 mini #152 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 12B and GPT-4.1 mini share 13 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 10 results are unique to Gemma 4 12B; 9 to GPT-4.1 mini.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 13
- Gemma 4 12B only
- 10
- GPT-4.1 mini only
- 9
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick Gemma 4 12B if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4.1 mini only becomes the better choice if you need the larger 1M context window or you would rather avoid the extra latency and token burn of a reasoning model.
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
Gemma 4 12B is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 47.29 to 44.19. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Gemma 4 12B's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 77.5 against 4.5. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is GPQA, 78.8% to 64.2%.
Gemma 4 12B is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 mini 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 mini 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 mini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 73.0 | GPT-4.1 mini4.5 |
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 13.3 | GPT-4.1 mini64.2 |
| Coding | Gemma 4 12BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 mini23.6 |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 12B43.4 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 miniNot measured |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 12B69.1 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 miniNot measured |
| Inst. Following | Gemma 4 12BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | GPT-4.1 mini88.5 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 78.8%B 64.2%Winner: Gemma 4 12BΔ 14.6GPQA: Gemma 4 12B scored 78.8%; GPT-4.1 mini scored 64.2%. 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 mini | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-4.1 mini$0.4 input / $1.6 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-4.1 mini80 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-4.1 mini0.76 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 12B256K | GPT-4.1 mini1M | GPT-4.1 mini lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic4 benchmarks
Coding3 benchmarks
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGemma 4 12B wins12 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | GPT-4.1 mini | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 78.8% | 64.2% | 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% | 14.8% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 75.3% | 66.4% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-HLESource | 14.8% | 4.6% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -51.9% | -50.1% | GPT-4.1 mini leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 16.0% | 17.5% | GPT-4.1 mini leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.8% | 82.0% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| MMLUSource | — | 87.5% | Not comparable |
MathGemma 4 12B wins2 benchmarks
Multimodal5 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-4.1 mini?
Gemma 4 12B is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 47.29 to 44.19. The biggest single separator in this matchup is GPQA, where the scores are 78.8% and 64.2%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-4.1 mini?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 64.2. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-4.1 mini?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 4.5. GPT-4.1 mini stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
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