Model Comparison

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 31BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemma 4 31B has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Gemma 4 31B is 2.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 31B — which is better?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite (by Google) and Gemma 4 31B (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 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU), while Gemma 4 31B is better at 3 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro, MRCR v2 (8-needle)). Gemma 4 31B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, Gemma 4 31B is roughly 2.9x 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 process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window

Choose Gemma 4 31B if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 2.9x 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 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU), while Gemma 4 31B is better at 3 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro, MRCR v2 (8-needle)).

Gemma 4 31B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 4 31B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite ($0.25/1M tokens) is 1.9x more expensive than Gemma 4 31B ($0.13/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite ($1.50/1M tokens) is 3.9x more expensive than Gemma 4 31B ($0.38/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Gemma 4 31B.*

* 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 31B
Input tokens$0.13
Output tokens$0.38
Best providerDeepinfra
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 31B's 262,144 tokens. Gemma 4 31B 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 31B
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 31B 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 31B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 4 31B 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 31B

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 31B was released on 2026-04-02.

Gemma 4 31B is 1 month newer than Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Mar 3, 2026

4 months ago

Gemma 4 31B

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 31B 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 31B (2025-01-01).

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

Jan 2025

Gemma 4 31B

Jan 2025

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Gemma 4 31B is available from DeepInfra, FriendliAI, Novita, Together.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite

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

Gemma 4 31B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.13/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.38/1M
friendli logo
FriendliAI
Input Price:Input: $0.14/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.14/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $0.39/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.97/1M
* 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 84.3%)
Higher MMMLU score (88.9% vs 88.4%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (26.5% vs 16.0%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (76.9% vs 76.8%)
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (66.4% vs 60.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 31B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
✓ Preferred
Gemma 4 31B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite
Google
Gemma 4 31B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 4 31B.

Which is better, Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite or Gemma 4 31B?

Gemma 4 31B has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite is made by Google and Gemma 4 31B 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 31B 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 31B scores AIME 2026: 89.2%, MMMLU: 88.4%, t2-bench: 86.4%, MathVision: 85.6%, MMLU-Pro: 85.2%.

Is Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite cheaper than Gemma 4 31B?

Gemma 4 31B 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 31B costs $0.13/M input and $0.38/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite and Gemma 4 31B?

Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M tokens and Gemma 4 31B 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 31B?

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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