Model comparison
Gemma 4 26B A4B vs Inkling
Head-to-head evidence from 3 shared benchmark results across 2 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Verified leaderboard positions: Gemma 4 26B A4B unranked; Inkling #17
BenchAlign evidence: Gemma 4 26B A4B supported; Inkling not scored. Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 26B A4B and Inkling share 3 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 18 results are unique to Gemma 4 26B A4B; 13 to Inkling.
Updated July 15, 2026- Shared results
- 3
- Gemma 4 26B A4B only
- 18
- Inkling only
- 13
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Pick Inkling if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Gemma 4 26B A4B only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 3 shared benchmark results across 2 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
Inkling is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 69 to 56. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Inkling's sharpest advantage is in knowledge, where it averages 51.7 against 43.8. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is HLE, 17.2% to 46%.
Inkling is also the more expensive model on tokens at $1.87 input / $4.68 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.00 input / $0.00 output per 1M tokens for Gemma 4 26B A4B. That is roughly Infinityx on output cost alone. Gemma 4 26B A4B is the reasoning model in the pair, while Inkling 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. Inkling gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 256K for Gemma 4 26B A4B.
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 26B A4B | Δ | Inkling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 26B A4B43.8 | Margin→ 7.9 | Inkling51.7 |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 26B A4B73.8 | Margin→ 2.7 | Inkling76.5 |
| Agentic | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | Inkling69.4 |
| Coding | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | Inkling68.6 |
| Math | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | Inkling97.1 |
| Inst. Following | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | Inkling79.8 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
HLE
KnowledgeA 17.2%B 46%Winner: InklingΔ 28.8HLE: Gemma 4 26B A4B scored 17.2%; Inkling scored 46%. Inkling wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMMU-Pro
MultimodalA 73.8%B 73.5%Winner: Gemma 4 26B A4BΔ 0.3MMMU-Pro: Gemma 4 26B A4B scored 73.8%; Inkling scored 73.5%. 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 26B A4B | Inkling | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 26B A4B$0 input / $0 output | Inkling$1.87 input / $4.68 output | Gemma 4 26B A4B has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot available | InklingNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot available | InklingNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 26B A4B256K | Inkling1M | Inkling lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Inkling | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic IndexSource | 11.0% | — | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 43.6% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 13.1% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 761 | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 63.8% | Not comparable |
| BrowseCompSource | — | 77.1% | Not comparable |
| MCP AtlasSource | — | 74.1% | Not comparable |
| Design Arena Agentic Web DevSource | — | 1258 | Not comparable |
Coding6 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
KnowledgeInkling wins11 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Inkling | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU-ProSource | 82.6% | — | Not comparable |
| HLESource | 17.2% | 46% | Inkling leads |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 8.7% | 30% | Inkling leads |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 25.7% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 79.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | 18.3% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -48.1% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 18.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.9% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQASource | — | 87.9% | Not comparable |
| GPQA-DSource | — | 87.9% | Not comparable |
Math1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Inkling | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIME26Source | — | 97.1% | Not comparable |
MultimodalInkling wins4 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Inkling?
Inkling is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 69 to 56. The biggest single separator in this matchup is HLE, where the scores are 17.2% and 46%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Inkling?
Inkling has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 51.7 versus 43.8. Inside this category, HLE is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for multimodal and grounded tasks, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Inkling?
Inkling has the edge for multimodal and grounded tasks in this comparison, averaging 76.5 versus 73.8. Inside this category, MMMU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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