Model comparison
Gemma 4 12B vs GPT-5.1
Head-to-head evidence from 12 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-5.1 #94 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 12B and GPT-5.1 share 12 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 11 results are unique to Gemma 4 12B; 9 to GPT-5.1.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 12
- Gemma 4 12B only
- 11
- GPT-5.1 only
- 9
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Pick GPT-5.1 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Gemma 4 12B only becomes the better choice if mathematics is the priority or you need the larger 256K context window.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 12 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
GPT-5.1 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 53.65 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 gives you the larger context window at 256K, compared with 200K for GPT-5.1.
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-5.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 51.1 | GPT-5.126.4 |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 12B43.4 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-5.1Not measured |
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-5.1Not measured |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 12B69.1 | MarginNo overlap | GPT-5.1Not measured |
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemma 4 12B | GPT-5.1 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-5.1$1.25 input / $10 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-5.1111 tok/s | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 12BNot available | GPT-5.157.47 s | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 12B256K | GPT-5.1200K | Gemma 4 12B lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic5 benchmarks
Coding3 benchmarks
Reasoning4 benchmarks
Knowledge11 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | GPT-5.1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 78.8% | — | Not comparable |
| 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% | 36.9% | GPT-5.1 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 75.3% | 87.3% | GPT-5.1 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 14.8% | 26.5% | GPT-5.1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -51.9% | 5.6% | GPT-5.1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 16.0% | 37.6% | GPT-5.1 leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.8% | 51.3% | GPT-5.1 leads |
MathGemma 4 12B wins3 benchmarks
Multimodal5 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | GPT-5.1 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 73.5% | 72.9% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-5.1?
GPT-5.1 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 53.65 to 47.29.
Which is better for math, Gemma 4 12B or GPT-5.1?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 26.4. GPT-5.1 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Related Comparisons
Explore More
Choose a model with this week’s evidence
Join 2,000+ readers for ranking moves, pricing changes, and the claims that still need proof.
One email each week. Unsubscribe anytime.