Gemma 3 4B vs Phi 4
Phi 4 leads the LLM Stats Score 5.4 to -1.9. Gemma 3 4B is 3.5x cheaper per token.
Google · Microsoft · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Phi 4 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 5.4 to -1.9, ranking #296 overall.
In the 6 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Phi 4 wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Gemma 3 4B is roughly 3.5x 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 LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemma 3 4B
- cost matters — it's about 3.5x 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
Choose Phi 4
- overall performance matters — it scores 5.4 and ranks #296 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 6 exact shared results
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
26 reported for Gemma 3 4B · 13 for Phi 4
Gemma 3 4B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (IFEval, SimpleQA), while Phi 4 is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro).
Phi 4 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.02/1M tokens) is 3.5x cheaper than Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.04/1M tokens) is 3.5x cheaper than Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Phi 4 is more expensive than Gemma 3 4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Phi 4 has 10.7B more parameters than Gemma 3 4B, making it 267.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemma 3 4B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,384 tokens. Gemma 3 4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Phi 4 is limited to 16,384 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Gemma 3 4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi 4 does not.
Gemma 3 4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 3 4B
Phi 4
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3 4B is licensed under Gemma, while Phi 4 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12, while Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12.
Gemma 3 4B is 3 months newer than Phi 4.
Mar 12, 2025
1.5 years ago
3mo newerDec 12, 2024
1.8 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 3 4B has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-08-01, while Phi 4 has a cutoff of 2024-06-01.
Gemma 3 4B has more recent training data (up to 2024-08-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Phi 4 (2024-06-01).
Aug 2024
2 mo newerJun 2024
Provider Availability
Gemma 3 4B is available from DeepInfra. Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra.
Gemma 3 4B
Phi 4
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 4B and Phi 4 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3 4B vs Phi 4.