Model Comparison

Gemma 4 12B vs Gemini 3.5 FlashWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Verdict: Gemma 4 12B vs Gemini 3.5 Flash — which is better?

Gemma 4 12B (by Google) and Gemini 3.5 Flash (by Google) 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 4 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemini 3.5 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro). Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Choose Gemma 4 12B if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Gemma 4 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MRCR v2 (8-needle)), while Gemini 3.5 Flash is better at 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro).

Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemini 3.5 Flash specifies input context (1,048,576 tokens). Only Gemini 3.5 Flash specifies output context (65,536 tokens).

Google
Gemma 4 12B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemma 4 12B and Gemini 3.5 Flash support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemma 4 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 4 12B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Gemini 3.5 Flash uses a proprietary license.

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

Gemma 4 12B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 4 12B was released on 2026-05-23, while Gemini 3.5 Flash was released on 2026-05-19.

Gemma 4 12B is 0 month newer than Gemini 3.5 Flash.

Gemma 4 12B

May 23, 2026

1 months ago

4d newer
Gemini 3.5 Flash

May 19, 2026

1 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 4 12B has a knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Gemini 3.5 Flash has a cutoff of 2026-01-31.

Gemini 3.5 Flash has more recent training data (up to 2026-01-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Gemma 4 12B (2025-01-01).

Gemma 4 12B

Jan 2025

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Jan 2026

1 yr newer

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Has open weights
Higher MRCR v2 (8-needle) score (43.4% vs 26.6%)
Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (40.2% vs 5.2%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (83.6% vs 69.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 4 12B and Gemini 3.5 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 4 12B
✓ Preferred
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 4 12B
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 4 12B vs Gemini 3.5 Flash.

Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Gemini 3.5 Flash shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 4 12B is made by Google and Gemini 3.5 Flash is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 4 12B compare to Gemini 3.5 Flash in benchmarks?

Gemma 4 12B scores FLEURS: 93.1%, MMMLU: 83.4%, MathVision: 79.7%, GPQA: 78.8%, AIME 2026: 77.5%. Gemini 3.5 Flash scores CharXiv-R: 84.2%, MCP Atlas: 83.6%, MMMU-Pro: 83.6%, OSWorld-Verified: 78.4%, Terminal-Bench 2.0: 76.2%.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 4 12B and Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Gemma 4 12B supports an unknown number of tokens and Gemini 3.5 Flash supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemma 4 12B and Gemini 3.5 Flash?

Key differences include licensing (Apache 2.0 vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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