Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Phi 4
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads the LLM Stats Score 29.9 to 5.4. Phi 4 is 9.7x cheaper per token.
Google · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads the overall LLM Stats Score 29.9 to 5.4, ranking #123 overall.
On price, Phi 4 is roughly 9.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- overall performance matters — it scores 29.9 and ranks #123 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Phi 4
- cost matters — it's about 9.7x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
6 reported for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite · 13 for Phi 4
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Phi 4don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens) is 4.3x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens) is 17.9x more expensive than Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Phi 4.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,384 tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Phi 4 is limited to 16,384 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi 4 does not.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Phi 4
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is licensed under a proprietary license, while Phi 4 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21, while Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 20 months newer than Phi 4.
Jul 21, 2026
1 months ago
1.6yr newerDec 12, 2024
1.7 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Phi 4 has a cutoff of 2024-06-01.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has more recent training data (up to 2026-03-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Phi 4 (2024-06-01).
Mar 2026
1.8 yr newerJun 2024
Provider Availability
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Phi 4
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Phi 4 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Phi 4.