Model Comparison

Gemma 4 12B vs Grok 4.3Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.3 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Gemma 4 12B vs Grok 4.3 — which is better?

Gemma 4 12B (by Google) and Grok 4.3 (by xAI) 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.

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 Grok 4.3 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $1.25/M input and $2.50/M output

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.3don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Grok 4.3 specifies input context (1,000,000 tokens).

Google
Gemma 4 12B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
xAI
Grok 4.3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 4 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Grok 4.3 does not.

Gemma 4 12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemma 4 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok 4.3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 4 12B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Grok 4.3 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

Grok 4.3

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 4 12B was released on 2026-05-23, while Grok 4.3 was released on 2026-05-06.

Gemma 4 12B is 1 month newer than Grok 4.3.

Gemma 4 12B

May 23, 2026

1 months ago

2w newer
Grok 4.3

May 6, 2026

2 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 4 12B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Grok 4.3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemma 4 12B's training data extends to 2025-01-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok 4.3's cutoff date.

Gemma 4 12B

Jan 2025

Grok 4.3

—

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Supports multimodal inputs
Has open weights
xAI
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 4 12B
✓ Preferred
Grok 4.3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 4 12B
xAI
Grok 4.3

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 4 12B vs Grok 4.3.

Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.3?

Gemma 4 12B (Google) and Grok 4.3 (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Gemma 4 12B compare to Grok 4.3 in benchmarks?

Gemma 4 12B scores FLEURS: 93.1%, MMMLU: 83.4%, MathVision: 79.7%, GPQA: 78.8%, AIME 2026: 77.5%. Grok 4.3 scores Finance Agent v2: 37.7%, GDPval-AA: 36.7%.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.3?

Gemma 4 12B supports an unknown number of tokens and Grok 4.3 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 Grok 4.3?

Key differences include multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Apache 2.0 vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.3?

Gemma 4 12B is developed by Google and Grok 4.3 is developed by xAI.

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