Model Comparison

Gemma 3 1B vs Phi 4 MiniWhich is better in 2026?

Phi 4 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Gemma 3 1B vs Phi 4 Mini — which is better?

Gemma 3 1B (by Google) and Phi 4 Mini (by Microsoft) 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 1B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Mini is better at 5 benchmarks (BIG-Bench Hard, GPQA, GSM8k, MATH, MMLU-Pro). Phi 4 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Gemma 3 1B if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025

Choose Phi 4 Mini if…

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

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Gemma 3 1B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Mini is better at 5 benchmarks (BIG-Bench Hard, GPQA, GSM8k, MATH, MMLU-Pro).

Phi 4 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jun 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

2.8B diff

Phi 4 Mini has 2.8B more parameters than Gemma 3 1B, making it 284.0% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 1B
1.0Bparameters
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini
3.8Bparameters
1.0B
Gemma 3 1B
3.8B
Phi 4 Mini

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 1B is licensed under Gemma, while Phi 4 Mini uses MIT.

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

Gemma 3 1B

Gemma

Open weights

Phi 4 Mini

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 1B was released on 2025-03-12, while Phi 4 Mini was released on 2025-02-01.

Gemma 3 1B is 1 month newer than Phi 4 Mini.

Gemma 3 1B

Mar 12, 2025

1.3 years ago

1mo newer
Phi 4 Mini

Feb 1, 2025

1.4 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi 4 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Gemma 3 1B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Phi 4 Mini's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 1B's cutoff date.

Gemma 3 1B

—

Phi 4 Mini

Jun 2024

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Microsoft
Higher BIG-Bench Hard score (70.4% vs 39.1%)
Higher GPQA score (25.2% vs 19.2%)
Higher GSM8k score (88.6% vs 62.8%)
Higher MATH score (64.0% vs 48.0%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (52.8% vs 14.7%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 1B and Phi 4 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3 1B
✓ Preferred
Phi 4 Mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3 1B
Microsoft
Phi 4 Mini

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 1B vs Phi 4 Mini.

Which is better, Gemma 3 1B or Phi 4 Mini?

Phi 4 Mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 1B is made by Google and Phi 4 Mini is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 3 1B compare to Phi 4 Mini in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 1B scores IFEval: 80.2%, GSM8k: 62.8%, Natural2Code: 56.0%, MATH: 48.0%, HumanEval: 41.5%. Phi 4 Mini scores GSM8k: 88.6%, ARC-C: 83.7%, BoolQ: 81.2%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%, PIQA: 77.6%.

What are the main differences between Gemma 3 1B and Phi 4 Mini?

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

Who makes Gemma 3 1B and Phi 4 Mini?

Gemma 3 1B is developed by Google and Phi 4 Mini is developed by Microsoft.

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