Model Comparison

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 26B-A4BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 2.8x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B — which is better?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite (by Google) and Gemma 4 26B-A4B (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 3.1 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.

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.

Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window

Choose Gemma 4 26B-A4B if…

  • 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

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

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.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

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
Fri Jul 17 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
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

4 months ago

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apr 2, 2026

3 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

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Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (86.9% vs 82.3%)
Higher MMMLU score (88.9% vs 86.3%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (76.8% vs 73.8%)
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (60.1% vs 44.1%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (17.2% vs 16.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

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
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B

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 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. 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 benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities 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 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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