Model Comparison

Seed 2.1 Pro vs Gemma 4 12BWhich is better in 2026?

Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Seed 2.1 Pro vs Gemma 4 12B — which is better?

Seed 2.1 Pro (by ByteDance) and Gemma 4 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.

Seed 2.1 Pro outperforms in 3 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MathVision, MMMU-Pro), while Gemma 4 12B is better at 0 benchmarks. Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Seed 2.1 Pro if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Choose Gemma 4 12B if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Seed 2.1 Pro outperforms in 3 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, MathVision, MMMU-Pro), while Gemma 4 12B is better at 0 benchmarks.

Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Seed 2.1 Pro and Gemma 4 12B support multimodal inputs.

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

Seed 2.1 Pro

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 4 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Seed 2.1 Pro is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 4 12B uses Apache 2.0.

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

Seed 2.1 Pro

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 4 12B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Seed 2.1 Pro was released on 2026-06-24, while Gemma 4 12B was released on 2026-05-23.

Seed 2.1 Pro is 1 month newer than Gemma 4 12B.

Seed 2.1 Pro

Jun 24, 2026

3 weeks ago

1mo newer
Gemma 4 12B

May 23, 2026

1 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 4 12B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Seed 2.1 Pro'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 Seed 2.1 Pro's cutoff date.

Seed 2.1 Pro

—

Gemma 4 12B

Jan 2025

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

ByteDance
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (55.7% vs 5.2%)
Higher MathVision score (94.5% vs 79.7%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (82.7% vs 69.1%)
Google
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Seed 2.1 Pro and Gemma 4 12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Seed 2.1 Pro
✓ Preferred
Gemma 4 12B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
ByteDance
Seed 2.1 Pro
Google
Gemma 4 12B

FAQ

Common questions about Seed 2.1 Pro vs Gemma 4 12B.

Which is better, Seed 2.1 Pro or Gemma 4 12B?

Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Seed 2.1 Pro is made by ByteDance and Gemma 4 12B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Seed 2.1 Pro compare to Gemma 4 12B in benchmarks?

Seed 2.1 Pro scores CharXiv-D: 95.5%, MathVision: 94.5%, MathVista: 90.7%, MathVerse: 89.7%, Video-MME: 89.2%. Gemma 4 12B scores FLEURS: 93.1%, MMMLU: 83.4%, MathVision: 79.7%, GPQA: 78.8%, AIME 2026: 77.5%.

What are the main differences between Seed 2.1 Pro and Gemma 4 12B?

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

Who makes Seed 2.1 Pro and Gemma 4 12B?

Seed 2.1 Pro is developed by ByteDance and Gemma 4 12B is developed by Google.

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