Model Comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs o4-miniWhich is better in 2026?

o4-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 30.8x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemma 3 12B vs o4-mini — which is better?

Gemma 3 12B (by Google) and o4-mini (by OpenAI) 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 0 benchmarks, while o4-mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). o4-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 30.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

o4-mini also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 30.8x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose o4-mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while o4-mini is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

o4-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens) is 22.0x cheaper than o4-mini ($1.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 44.0x cheaper than o4-mini ($4.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o4-mini is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input tokens$1.10
Output tokens$4.40
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o4-mini accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 12B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while o4-mini is limited to 100,000 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
OpenAI
o4-mini
Input200,000 tokens
Output100,000 tokens
Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemma 3 12B and o4-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

o4-mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while o4-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

o4-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while o4-mini was released on 2025-04-16.

o4-mini is 1 month newer than Gemma 3 12B.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.3 years ago

o4-mini

Apr 16, 2025

1.2 years ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

o4-mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm o4-mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.

Gemma 3 12B

—

o4-mini

May 2024

Provider Availability

Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra. o4-mini is available from OpenAI.

Gemma 3 12B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

o4-mini

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
OpenAI
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (81.4% vs 40.9%)
GoogleGemma 3 12B
OpenAIo4-mini
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 12B and o4-mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3 12B
✓ Preferred
o4-mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3 12B
OpenAI
o4-mini

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs o4-mini.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or o4-mini?

o4-mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is made by Google and o4-mini is made by OpenAI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 3 12B compare to o4-mini in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. o4-mini scores AIME 2024: 93.4%, AIME 2025: 92.7%, MathVista: 84.3%, MMMU: 81.6%, GPQA: 81.4%.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than o4-mini?

Gemma 3 12B is 22.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. o4-mini costs $1.10/M input and $4.40/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and o4-mini?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K tokens and o4-mini supports 200K 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 o4-mini?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $1.10/M), licensing (Gemma vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and o4-mini?

Gemma 3 12B is developed by Google and o4-mini is developed by OpenAI.

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