Model Comparison

Gemini 3 Flash vs Gemma 3 12BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 18.0x cheaper per token.

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

Gemini 3 Flash (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 3 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 1 benchmark (FACTS Grounding). Gemini 3 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 18.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 3 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 18.0x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Gemini 3 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 1 benchmark (FACTS Grounding).

Gemini 3 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sun Jun 07 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 3 Flash ($0.50/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3 Flash ($3.00/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens).

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

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$3.00
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

Gemini 3 Flash accepts 1,000,000 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 3 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3 Flash
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

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

Gemini 3 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3 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 3 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

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

Gemini 3 Flash is 9 months newer than Gemma 3 12B.

Gemini 3 Flash

Dec 17, 2025

5 months ago

9mo newer
Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.2 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3 Flash's training data extends to 2025-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.

Gemini 3 Flash

Jan 2025

Gemma 3 12B

—

Provider Availability

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

Gemini 3 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M

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

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Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (90.4% vs 40.9%)
Higher SimpleQA score (68.7% vs 6.3%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher FACTS Grounding score (75.8% vs 61.9%)

Detailed Comparison

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

FAQ

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

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

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

Gemini 3 Flash scores Vending-Bench 2: 100.0%, AIME 2025: 99.7%, Global PIQA: 92.8%, MMMLU: 91.8%, GPQA: 90.4%. Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%.

Is Gemini 3 Flash cheaper than Gemma 3 12B?

Gemma 3 12B is 10.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3 Flash costs $0.50/M input and $3.00/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 3 Flash and Gemma 3 12B?

Gemini 3 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 3 Flash and Gemma 3 12B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 131K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.05/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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