Model Comparison
Phi 4 vs Gemma 3 12BWhich is better in 2026?
Gemma 3 12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 1.4x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Phi 4 vs Gemma 3 12B — which is better?
Phi 4 (by Microsoft) and Gemma 3 12B (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.
Phi 4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 4 benchmarks (HumanEval, IFEval, MATH, SimpleQA). Gemma 3 12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemma 3 12B also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Phi 4 if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.07/M input and $0.14/M output
Choose Gemma 3 12B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 6 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.4x 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
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Phi 4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 4 benchmarks (HumanEval, IFEval, MATH, SimpleQA).
Gemma 3 12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens).
For output processing, Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Phi 4 is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Phi 4 has 2.7B more parameters than Gemma 3 12B, making it 22.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemma 3 12B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,000 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Phi 4 is limited to 16,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemma 3 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi 4 does not.
Gemma 3 12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Phi 4
Gemma 3 12B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Phi 4 is licensed under MIT, while Gemma 3 12B uses Gemma.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Gemma
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12, while Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12.
Gemma 3 12B is 3 months newer than Phi 4.
Dec 12, 2024
1.5 years ago
Mar 12, 2025
1.2 years ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.
Jun 2024
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Provider Availability
Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra. Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra.
Phi 4
Gemma 3 12B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Phi 4
View detailsMicrosoft
Gemma 3 12B
View detailsDetailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Phi 4 vs Gemma 3 12B.