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Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B are closely matched at 31.2 and 29.6 on the LLM Stats Score. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 2.8x cheaper per token.

Google · Google · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 31.2 and 29.6.

In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

On price, Gemma 4 26B-A4B is roughly 2.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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 3.1 Flash-Lite

  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 5 exact shared results
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window

Choose Gemma 4 26B-A4B

  • cost matters — it's about 2.8x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Google
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
31.2
#104
29.6
#115
Reasoning
31.5
#99
29.5
#110
Agents
11.0
#102
12.7
#91
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
4 of 5
1 of 5
Input price
$0.25 / M
$0.13 / M
Output price
$1.50 / M
$0.40 / M
Context window
1,000,000
262,144

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

3 shared
Index
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Math
22.1#135
25.0#107
Vision
17.5#77
14.2#88
Multimodal
22.4#54
18.1#70
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

11 reported for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite · 12 for Gemma 4 26B-A4B

5 shared

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU, MMMU-Pro, MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemma 4 26B-A4B is better at 1 benchmark (Humanity's Last Exam).

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Sep 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 4 26B-A4B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite ($0.25/1M tokens) is 1.9x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.13/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite ($1.50/1M tokens) is 3.8x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Sep 02 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Input tokens$0.13
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 4 26B-A4B's 262,144 tokens. Gemma 4 26B-A4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Wed Sep 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Both Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B uses Apache 2.0.

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

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-03-03, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B was released on 2026-04-02.

Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 1 month newer than Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Mar 3, 2026

6 months ago

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apr 2, 2026

5 months ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-31, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B has a cutoff of 2025-01-01.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite has more recent training data (up to 2025-01-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemma 4 26B-A4B (2025-01-01).

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Jan 2025

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Jan 2025

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is available from Novita.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.13/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
* 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 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
✓ Preferred
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B.

Which is better, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B are closely matched on the LLM Stats Score at 31.2 and 29.6. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is made by Google and Gemma 4 26B-A4B 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 3.1 Flash-Lite compare to Gemma 4 26B-A4B in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite scores MMMLU: 88.9%, GPQA: 86.9%, VideoMMMU: 84.8%, MMMU-Pro: 76.8%, CharXiv-R: 73.2%. Gemma 4 26B-A4B scores AIME 2026: 88.3%, MMMLU: 86.3%, t2-bench: 85.5%, MMLU-Pro: 82.6%, MathVision: 82.4%.

Is Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite cheaper than Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 1.9x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite costs $0.25/M input and $1.50/M output via google. Gemma 4 26B-A4B costs $0.13/M input and $0.40/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M tokens and Gemma 4 26B-A4B supports 262K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (31.2 vs 29.6), context window (1.0M vs 262K), input pricing ($0.25 vs $0.13/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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