Model Comparison

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 4BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 4B is 7.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 4B — which is better?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite (by Google) 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.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite outperforms in 5 benchmarks (FACTS Grounding, Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, LiveCodeBench, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 4B is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 4B is roughly 7.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025

Choose Gemma 3 4B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 7.0x cheaper per token
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite outperforms in 5 benchmarks (FACTS Grounding, Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, LiveCodeBench, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 4B is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite 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 4B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite ($0.10/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 4B ($0.02/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite ($0.40/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 4B ($0.04/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Gemma 3 4B.*

* 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 2.5 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemma 3 4B
Input tokens$0.02
Output tokens$0.04
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 4B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Google
Gemma 3 4B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 4B support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, while Gemma 3 4B uses Gemma.

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

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

Open weights

Gemma 3 4B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2025-06-17, while Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is 3 months newer than Gemma 3 4B.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Jun 17, 2025

1.0 years ago

3mo newer
Gemma 3 4B

Mar 12, 2025

1.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Gemma 3 4B has a cutoff of 2024-08-01.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has more recent training data (up to 2025-01-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemma 3 4B (2024-08-01).

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Jan 2025

5 mo newer
Gemma 3 4B

Aug 2024

Provider Availability

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Gemma 3 4B is available from DeepInfra.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M

Gemma 3 4B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.02/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.04/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher FACTS Grounding score (84.1% vs 70.1%)
Higher Global-MMLU-Lite score (81.1% vs 54.5%)
Higher GPQA score (64.6% vs 30.8%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (33.7% vs 12.6%)
Higher SimpleQA score (10.7% vs 4.0%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Google
Gemma 3 4B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 4B.

Which is better, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite or Gemma 3 4B?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is made by Google 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 Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite compare to Gemma 3 4B in benchmarks?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite scores FACTS Grounding: 84.1%, Global-MMLU-Lite: 81.1%, MMMU: 72.9%, GPQA: 64.6%, Vibe-Eval: 51.3%. Gemma 3 4B scores IFEval: 90.2%, GSM8k: 89.2%, DocVQA: 75.8%, MATH: 75.6%, AI2D: 74.8%.

Is Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite cheaper than Gemma 3 4B?

Gemma 3 4B is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.10/M input and $0.40/M output via google. Gemma 3 4B costs $0.02/M input and $0.04/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 4B?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M 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 Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 4B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 131K), input pricing ($0.10 vs $0.02/M), licensing (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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