Model Comparison

Gemini 1.0 Pro vs Gemma 3 12BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 12.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 1.0 Pro vs Gemma 3 12B — which is better?

Gemini 1.0 Pro (by Google) and Gemma 3 12B (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.

Gemini 1.0 Pro outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemma 3 12B is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH). Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 12.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemma 3 12B also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 1.0 Pro if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 12.0x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Gemini 1.0 Pro outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemma 3 12B is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH).

Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 1.0 Pro ($0.50/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 1.0 Pro ($1.50/1M tokens) is 15.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 1.0 Pro is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 1.0 Pro
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemma 3 12B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Gemini 1.0 Pro's 32,760 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemini 1.0 Pro is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Google
Gemini 1.0 Pro
Input32,760 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 3 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemini 1.0 Pro does not.

Gemma 3 12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemini 1.0 Pro

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 1.0 Pro is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 3 12B uses Gemma.

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

Gemini 1.0 Pro

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 1.0 Pro was released on 2024-02-15, while Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemma 3 12B is 13 months newer than Gemini 1.0 Pro.

Gemini 1.0 Pro

Feb 15, 2024

2.4 years ago

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.3 years ago

1.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.0 Pro has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-02-01, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.0 Pro's training data extends to 2024-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.

Gemini 1.0 Pro

Feb 2024

Gemma 3 12B

Provider Availability

Gemini 1.0 Pro is available from Google. Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra.

Gemini 1.0 Pro

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M

Gemma 3 12B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (40.9% vs 27.9%)
Higher MATH score (83.8% vs 32.6%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 1.0 Pro
Google
Gemma 3 12B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 1.0 Pro vs Gemma 3 12B.

Which is better, Gemini 1.0 Pro or Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.0 Pro is made by Google and Gemma 3 12B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 1.0 Pro compare to Gemma 3 12B in benchmarks?

Gemini 1.0 Pro scores FLEURS: 93.6%, BIG-Bench: 75.0%, MMLU: 71.8%, WMT23: 71.7%, EgoSchema: 55.7%. Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%.

Is Gemini 1.0 Pro cheaper than Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B is 10.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 1.0 Pro costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via google. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 1.0 Pro and Gemma 3 12B?

Gemini 1.0 Pro supports 33K tokens and Gemma 3 12B 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 Gemini 1.0 Pro and Gemma 3 12B?

Key differences include context window (33K vs 131K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.05/M), multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (Proprietary vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.