Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Gemma 3 4BWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Gemma 3 4B — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Zero (by DeepSeek) and Gemma 3 4B (by Google) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench), while Gemma 3 4B is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks

Choose Gemma 3 4B if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench), while Gemma 3 4B is better at 0 benchmarks.

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jun 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

667.0B diff

DeepSeek R1 Zero has 667.0B more parameters than Gemma 3 4B, making it 16675.0% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
671.0Bparameters
Google
Gemma 3 4B
4.0Bparameters
671.0B
DeepSeek R1 Zero
4.0B
Gemma 3 4B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemma 3 4B specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Gemma 3 4B specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemma 3 4B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jun 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 3 4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.

Gemma 3 4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while Gemma 3 4B uses Gemma.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

MIT

Open weights

Gemma 3 4B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemma 3 4B is 2 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Zero.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

Jan 20, 2025

1.4 years ago

Gemma 3 4B

Mar 12, 2025

1.3 years ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 3 4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-08-01, while DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemma 3 4B's training data extends to 2024-08-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek R1 Zero's cutoff date.

DeepSeek R1 Zero

—

Gemma 3 4B

Aug 2024

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Higher GPQA score (73.3% vs 30.8%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (50.0% vs 12.6%)
Google
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Google
Gemma 3 4B

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Gemma 3 4B.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Zero or Gemma 3 4B?

DeepSeek R1 Zero significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Zero is made by DeepSeek and Gemma 3 4B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does DeepSeek R1 Zero compare to Gemma 3 4B in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Zero scores MATH-500: 95.9%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 73.3%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%. Gemma 3 4B scores IFEval: 90.2%, GSM8k: 89.2%, DocVQA: 75.8%, MATH: 75.6%, AI2D: 74.8%.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Zero and Gemma 3 4B?

DeepSeek R1 Zero supports an unknown number of tokens and Gemma 3 4B supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between DeepSeek R1 Zero and Gemma 3 4B?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (MIT vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek R1 Zero and Gemma 3 4B?

DeepSeek R1 Zero is developed by DeepSeek and Gemma 3 4B is developed by Google.

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