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Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 12B

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite leads the LLM Stats Score 12.4 to 5.6. Gemma 3 12B is 1.7x cheaper per token.

Google · Google · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite leads the overall LLM Stats Score 12.4 to 5.6, ranking #251 overall.

In the 8 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite wins 8; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 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 Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

  • overall performance matters — it scores 12.4 and ranks #251 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 8 of 8 exact shared results
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window

Choose Gemma 3 12B

  • cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Google
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
12.4
#251
5.6
#295
Reasoning
12.5
#244
5.9
#289
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
8 of 8
0 of 8
Input price
$0.07 / M
$0.05 / M
Output price
$0.30 / M
$0.15 / M
Context window
1,048,576
131,072

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

3 shared
Index
Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite
Gemma 3 12B
Math
18.2#184
12.9#229
Vision
1.5#173
-4.4#197
Factuality
13.1#24
8.9#36
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

13 reported for Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite · 26 for Gemma 3 12B

8 shared

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite outperforms in 8 benchmarks (Bird-SQL (dev), FACTS Grounding, Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, HiddenMath, MATH, MMLU-Pro, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Sep 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite ($0.07/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Sep 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.07
Output tokens$0.30
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.15
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite 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 2.0 Flash-Lite is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Google
Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Mon Sep 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Both Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 12B support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite 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 2.0 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite was released on 2025-02-05, while Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemma 3 12B is 1 month newer than Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

Feb 5, 2025

1.6 years ago

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.5 years ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

Jun 2024

Gemma 3 12B

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.07/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.30/1M

Gemma 3 12B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite
✓ Preferred
Gemma 3 12B
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 12B.

Which is better, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite or Gemma 3 12B?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite leads the LLM Stats Score 12.4 to 5.6. Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is made by Google and Gemma 3 12B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite compare to Gemma 3 12B in benchmarks?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite scores MATH: 86.8%, FACTS Grounding: 83.6%, Global-MMLU-Lite: 78.2%, MMLU-Pro: 71.6%, MMMU: 68.0%. Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%.

Is Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite cheaper than Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B is 1.4x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite costs $0.07/M input and $0.30/M output via google. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.15/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 12B?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite 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 2.0 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 12B?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (12.4 vs 5.6), context window (1.0M vs 131K), input pricing ($0.07 vs $0.05/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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