Model Comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemma 4 26B-A4BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 17.1x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B — which is better?

Gemini 3.5 Flash (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 3.5 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro), while Gemma 4 26B-A4B is better at 1 benchmark (MRCR v2 (8-needle)). Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 4 26B-A4B is roughly 17.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.5 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2026

Choose Gemma 4 26B-A4B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 17.1x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Gemini 3.5 Flash outperforms in 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro), while Gemma 4 26B-A4B is better at 1 benchmark (MRCR v2 (8-needle)).

Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of 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 3.5 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens) is 11.5x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.13/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash ($9.00/1M tokens) is 22.5x more expensive than Gemma 4 26B-A4B ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash 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 3.5 Flash
Input tokens$1.50
Output tokens$9.00
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 3.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 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 3.5 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 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 3.5 Flash and Gemma 4 26B-A4B support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.5 Flash 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 3.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.5 Flash was released on 2026-05-19, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B was released on 2026-04-02.

Gemini 3.5 Flash is 2 months newer than Gemma 4 26B-A4B.

Gemini 3.5 Flash

May 19, 2026

1 months ago

1mo newer
Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Apr 2, 2026

3 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.5 Flash has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-01-31, while Gemma 4 26B-A4B has a cutoff of 2025-01-01.

Gemini 3.5 Flash has more recent training data (up to 2026-01-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemma 4 26B-A4B (2025-01-01).

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Jan 2026

1 yr newer
Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Jan 2025

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.5 Flash is available from Google. Gemma 4 26B-A4B is available from Novita.

Gemini 3.5 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $1.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $9.00/1M

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 (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (40.2% vs 17.2%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (83.6% vs 73.8%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (44.1% vs 26.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash and Gemma 4 26B-A4B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.5 Flash
✓ Preferred
Gemma 4 26B-A4B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Google
Gemma 4 26B-A4B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B.

Which is better, Gemini 3.5 Flash or Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemini 3.5 Flash 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 3.5 Flash compare to Gemma 4 26B-A4B in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.5 Flash scores CharXiv-R: 84.2%, MCP Atlas: 83.6%, MMMU-Pro: 83.6%, OSWorld-Verified: 78.4%, Terminal-Bench 2.0: 76.2%. 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 3.5 Flash cheaper than Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemma 4 26B-A4B is 11.5x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash costs $1.50/M input and $9.00/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 3.5 Flash and Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Gemini 3.5 Flash 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 3.5 Flash and Gemma 4 26B-A4B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 262K), input pricing ($1.50 vs $0.13/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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