Gemma 3 4B vs Pixtral-12B
Gemma 3 4B and Pixtral-12B are closely matched at -1.7 and -1.4 on the LLM Stats Score. Gemma 3 4B is 6.0x cheaper per token.
Google · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 3 4B and Pixtral-12B are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at -1.7 and -1.4.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Pixtral-12B wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Gemma 3 4B is roughly 6.0x 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 LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemma 3 4B
- cost matters — it's about 6.0x 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
Choose Pixtral-12B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 5 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 · 12 for Pixtral-12B
Gemma 3 4B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (IFEval, MATH), while Pixtral-12B is better at 3 benchmarks (ChartQA, DocVQA, HumanEval).
Pixtral-12B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
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 7.5x cheaper than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.04/1M tokens) is 3.8x cheaper than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Pixtral-12B is more expensive than Gemma 3 4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Pixtral-12B has 8.4B more parameters than Gemma 3 4B, making it 210.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemma 3 4B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Pixtral-12B's 128,000 tokens. Gemma 3 4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Pixtral-12B is limited to 8,192 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Gemma 3 4B and Pixtral-12B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemma 3 4B
Pixtral-12B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3 4B is licensed under Gemma, while Pixtral-12B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12, while Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17.
Gemma 3 4B is 6 months newer than Pixtral-12B.
Mar 12, 2025
1.5 years ago
5mo newerSep 17, 2024
2.0 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 3 4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-08-01, while Pixtral-12B'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 Pixtral-12B's cutoff date.
Aug 2024
—
Provider Availability
Gemma 3 4B is available from DeepInfra. Pixtral-12B is available from Mistral AI.
Gemma 3 4B
Pixtral-12B
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 4B and Pixtral-12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3 4B vs Pixtral-12B.