Gemma 3 4B vs GPT-4o
GPT-4o significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 4B is 175.0x cheaper per token.
Google · OpenAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 3 4B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while GPT-4o is better at 6 benchmarks (AI2D, ChartQA, DocVQA, GPQA, MMLU-Pro, SimpleQA). GPT-4o significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Gemma 3 4B is roughly 175.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemma 3 4B also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemma 3 4B
- cost matters — it's about 175.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose GPT-4o
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 7 shared benchmarks
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemma 3 4B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while GPT-4o is better at 6 benchmarks (AI2D, ChartQA, DocVQA, GPQA, MMLU-Pro, SimpleQA).
GPT-4o significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.02/1M tokens) is 125.0x cheaper than GPT-4o ($2.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.04/1M tokens) is 250.0x cheaper than GPT-4o ($10.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4o is more expensive than Gemma 3 4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemma 3 4B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to GPT-4o's 128,000 tokens. Gemma 3 4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GPT-4o is limited to 16,384 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Gemma 3 4B and GPT-4o support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemma 3 4B
GPT-4o
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3 4B is licensed under Gemma, while GPT-4o uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12, while GPT-4o was released on 2024-08-06.
Gemma 3 4B is 7 months newer than GPT-4o.
Mar 12, 2025
1.5 years ago
7mo newerAug 6, 2024
2.0 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 3 4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-08-01, while GPT-4o's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemma 3 4B's training data extends to 2024-08-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without GPT-4o's cutoff date.
Aug 2024
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Provider Availability
Gemma 3 4B is available from DeepInfra. GPT-4o is available from Azure, OpenAI.
Gemma 3 4B
GPT-4o
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 4B and GPT-4o side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3 4B vs GPT-4o.