Model Comparison

Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemma 3 12B

Gemma 3 12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 4.2x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

8 benchmarks

Gemini 1.5 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 6 benchmarks (BIG-Bench Hard, GSM8k, HiddenMath, HumanEval, MATH, Natural2Code).

Gemma 3 12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Fri May 08 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 1.5 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens) is 3.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.60/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 1.5 Flash is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers

Fri May 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Input tokens$0.15

Output tokens$0.60

Best providerGoogle

Gemma 3 12B

Input tokens$0.05

Output tokens$0.10

Best providerDeepinfra

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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 1.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 12B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Input1,048,576 tokens

Output8,192 tokens

Gemma 3 12B

Input131,072 tokens

Output131,072 tokens

Fri May 08 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 12B support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Text

Images

Audio

Video

Gemma 3 12B

Text

Images

Audio

Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 1.5 Flash 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 1.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 1.5 Flash was released on 2024-05-01, while Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemma 3 12B is 11 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

May 1, 2024

2.0 years ago

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.2 years ago

10mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-11-01, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Flash's training data extends to 2023-11-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Nov 2023

Gemma 3 12B

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 1.5 Flash is available from Google. Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Google

Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M

Gemma 3 12B

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Gemini 1.5 Flash

View details

Google

Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)

Higher GPQA score (51.0% vs 40.9%)

Higher MMLU-Pro score (67.3% vs 60.6%)

Gemma 3 12B

View details

Google

Less expensive input tokens

Less expensive output tokens

Has open weights

Higher BIG-Bench Hard score (85.7% vs 85.5%)

Higher GSM8k score (94.4% vs 86.2%)

Higher HiddenMath score (54.5% vs 47.2%)

Higher HumanEval score (85.4% vs 74.3%)

Higher MATH score (83.8% vs 77.9%)

Higher Natural2Code score (80.7% vs 79.8%)

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Gemma 3 12B

Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature	Gemini 1.5 Flash	Gemma 3 12B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemma 3 12B.

Which is better, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash 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 1.5 Flash compare to Gemma 3 12B in benchmarks?

Gemini 1.5 Flash scores XSTest: 97.0%, HellaSwag: 86.5%, GSM8k: 86.2%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.5%, MGSM: 82.6%. Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%.

Is Gemini 1.5 Flash cheaper than Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B is 3.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.15/M input and $0.60/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 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 12B?

Gemini 1.5 Flash supports 1.0M 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 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 12B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 131K), input pricing ($0.15 vs $0.05/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.