Claude Haiku 4.5 vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Claude Haiku 4.5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B are closely matched at 25.9 and 29.6 on the LLM Stats Score. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 10.1x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · Google · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Claude Haiku 4.5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 25.9 and 29.6.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemma 4 26B-A4B wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Gemma 4 26B-A4B is roughly 10.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude Haiku 4.5
- you want predictable pricing at $1.00/M input and $5.00/M output
Choose Gemma 4 26B-A4B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 10.1x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
12 reported for Claude Haiku 4.5 · 12 for Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Claude Haiku 4.5 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU).
Gemma 4 26B-A4B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Haiku 4.5 ($1.00/1M tokens) is 7.7x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.13/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Haiku 4.5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Haiku 4.5 is more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemma 4 26B-A4B accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Claude Haiku 4.5's 200,000 tokens. Gemma 4 26B-A4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Haiku 4.5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Claude Haiku 4.5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Haiku 4.5
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude Haiku 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Haiku 4.5 was released on 2025-10-15, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B was released on 2026-04-02.
Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 6 months newer than Claude Haiku 4.5.
Oct 15, 2025
10 months ago
Apr 2, 2026
4 months ago
5mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Claude Haiku 4.5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-02-01, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B has a cutoff of 2025-01-01.
Claude Haiku 4.5 has more recent training data (up to 2025-02-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemma 4 26B-A4B (2025-01-01).
Feb 2025
1 mo newerJan 2025
Provider Availability
Claude Haiku 4.5 is available from Anthropic, Vertex AI. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is available from Novita.
Claude Haiku 4.5
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Haiku 4.5 and Gemma 4 26B-A4B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude Haiku 4.5 vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B.