Model Comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Grok-2 miniWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Gemma 3 12B vs Grok-2 mini — which is better?

Gemma 3 12B (by Google) and Grok-2 mini (by xAI) 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.

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MATH), while Grok-2 mini is better at 4 benchmarks (DocVQA, GPQA, HumanEval, MMLU-Pro). Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 5 shared benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MATH), while Grok-2 mini is better at 4 benchmarks (DocVQA, GPQA, HumanEval, MMLU-Pro).

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemma 3 12B specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Gemma 3 12B specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemma 3 12B and Grok-2 mini support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while Grok-2 mini uses a proprietary license.

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

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13.

Gemma 3 12B is 7 months newer than Grok-2 mini.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.4 years ago

7mo newer
Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher MATH score (83.8% vs 73.0%)
xAI
Higher DocVQA score (93.2% vs 87.1%)
Higher GPQA score (51.0% vs 40.9%)
Higher HumanEval score (85.7% vs 85.4%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (72.0% vs 60.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 12B and Grok-2 mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3 12B
✓ Preferred
Grok-2 mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3 12B
xAI
Grok-2 mini

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs Grok-2 mini.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or Grok-2 mini?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is made by Google and Grok-2 mini is made by xAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 3 12B compare to Grok-2 mini in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and Grok-2 mini?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K tokens and Grok-2 mini supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemma 3 12B and Grok-2 mini?

Key differences include licensing (Gemma vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and Grok-2 mini?

Gemma 3 12B is developed by Google and Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI.

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