Gemini 4 Argon vs Gemma 3 12B
Gemini 4 Argon leads Gemma 3 12B on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 52.6 to 3.8, and Gemma 3 12B costs 61.5x less per output token ($0.1625 vs $10.00 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 31 benchmarks have a result for both.
Gemini 4 Argon or Gemma 3 12B: which to pick
Only Gemini 4 Argon has a coding score, 81.0 on the Vibe Coding Index; Gemma 3 12B has none, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Gemma 3 12B for output tokens 61.5x cheaper ($0.1625 vs $10.00 per million).
- Shared results
- 31
- Gemini 4 Argon only
- 62
- Gemma 3 12B only
- 12
- Like-for-like categories
- 6 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Only Gemini 4 Argon has a coding score, so no call is made.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Gemini 4 Argon
Gemini 4 Argon leads, 52.6 against 3.8.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Gemma 3 12B has a AA Agentic Index result, 0.1.
Directional only
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Gemini 4 Argon has a Design Arena: websites result, 1315.
Directional only
General
Vals Index
No call
Only Gemini 4 Argon has a Vals Index result, 69.2%.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Gemini 4 Argon
Gemini 4 Argon takes 1.05M tokens against 131K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Gemma 3 12B
Gemini 4 Argon $0.0070, Gemma 3 12B $0.0002 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Gemini 4 Argon 81.0 from 5 benchmarks, Gemma 3 12B not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Math, 52.8 points apart on average over 3 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- OTIS Mock AIME: Gemini 4 Argon 100.0% against Gemma 3 12B 16.7%, 83.3 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Gemini 4 Argon $10.00 against Gemma 3 12B $0.1625 per million output tokens, 61.5x apart.
- Context window
- Gemini 4 Argon takes 1.05M tokens, Gemma 3 12B 131K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Gemini 4 Argon | Bars | Gemma 3 12B | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 4 | 0 | ||
| Intelligence | 2 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 5 | 0 | ||
| Math | 3 | 0 | ||
| Knowledge | 4 | 0 | ||
| General | 13 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 31 | 0 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index40
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench coding | 89.7% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena WebDev | 1678 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| AA Coding Index | Not measured | 5.8 | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Terminal-Bench 4 (Vals AI) | 57.6% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI) | 91.9% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Code migration (Vals AI) | 68.2% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| ProgramBench (Vals AI) | 2.5% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| IOI (Vals AI) | 100.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Terminal-Bench 2.1 (Vals AI) | 57.7% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| SWE-bench Multimodal (Vals AI) | 56.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Vibe Code Bench 1-100 (Vals AI) | 21.2% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| CyberBench (Vals AI) | 77.9% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 13.7% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| SciCode | 61.8% | 16.4% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 0.8% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| FrontierCode | 47.5% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| FrontierSWE | 55.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| ALE-Bench | 2100.1 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1546 | 1281 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1556 | 1313 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena WebDev: React | 1692 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena WebDev: HTML | 1643 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| SciCode | 12.3% | 0.0% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 52.6 | 3.8 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 166.4 | 123.5 | Gemini 4 Argon |
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index21 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | Not measured | 0.1 | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Design Arena: spreadsheets | 1142 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LiveBench research | 83.1% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LiveBench browser | 92.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LiveBench long agentic | 69.9% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| SREBench (Vals AI) | 44.3% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Finance Agent (Vals AI) | 65.4% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Tax Agent Bench (Vals AI) | 44.6% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Legal Research Bench (Vals AI) | 54.8% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Harvey's Legal Agent Benchmark (Vals AI) | 27.1% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Excel Modeling Benchmark (Vals AI) | 75.2% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| BioMysteryBench (Vals AI) | 76.3% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Terminal-Bench-Science (Vals AI) | 44.3% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Vals Science Index | 55.4% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Time Horizon Index (Vals AI) | 52.5% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| CUA-bench (Vals AI) | 4.8% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Robo-bench (Vals AI) | 0.8% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 10.8% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| APEX-Agents | 82.4% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Vending-Bench 2 | $13,718 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Berkeley Function Calling Leaderboard (BFCL) | Not measured | 30.4% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index50
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench reasoning | 95.1% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| MysteryMechanism (Vals AI) | 45.5% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 34.9% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 57.1% | 4.2% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | 96.4% | 39.5% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| ARC-AGI | 98.5% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| ARC-AGI-2 | 91.3% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Chess puzzles | 59.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Mystery game puzzles | 64.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| EBR-bench | 64.8% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1546 | 1309 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1550 | 1248 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1548 | 1318 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index30
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | Not measured | 18.3 | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 18.3% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| OTIS Mock AIME | 100.0% | 16.7% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| FrontierMath, tiers 1 to 3 | 86.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| FrontierMath, tier 4 | 78.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| ProofBench | 99.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1536 | 1307 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1557 | 1336 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Neither model has a result on the other 5 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index40
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LegalBench (Vals AI) | 88.3% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| MedCode (Vals AI) | 58.8% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 59.5% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| SimpleQA Verified | 76.0% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text: science | 1548 | 1366 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1555 | 1334 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1548 | 1381 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1525 | 1376 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Neither model has a result on the other 10 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index7 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1315 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Design Arena: UI components | 1331 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 1375 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Design Arena: data viz | 1336 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | 1389 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1329 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LiveBench design | 73.7% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 2 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index130
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vals Index | 69.2% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LiveBench data analysis | 85.2% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| Public Benefits Bench (Vals AI) | 69.8% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| SAGE (Vals AI) | 53.6% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| MedScribe (Vals AI) | 87.4% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| IFBench | Not measured | 36.7% | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 79.7% | 8.3% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| DTBench | 97.6% | 48.8% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMCA | 63.7% | 4.5% | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Furniture assembly | 72.5% | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text | 1532 | 1334 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1534 | 1299 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1527 | 1331 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: English | 1538 | 1349 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1522 | 1318 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1611 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text: German | Not measured | 1370 | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1503 | Not measured | Only Gemini 4 Argon measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1534 | 1335 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1556 | 1334 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1547 | 1317 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1529 | 1307 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1527 | 1297 | Gemini 4 Argon |
| Neither model has a result on the other 23 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Argon | Gemma 3 12B | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Gemma 3 12B costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Gemma 3 12B costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Gemma 3 12B costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Google Gemini 4 Argon | Google Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | ||
| Weights | No public weights listed | Open weights |
| Released | October 13, 2026 | March 13, 2025 |
| Context window | 1.05M | 131K |
| Input $/Mtok | $2.00 | $0.075 |
| Output $/Mtok | $10.00 | $0.1625 |
| Coding index | 81.0 | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 5 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Gemini 4 Argon better than Gemma 3 12B for coding?
Only Gemini 4 Argon has a coding score, 81.0 on the Vibe Coding Index; Gemma 3 12B has none, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Gemma 3 12B for output tokens 61.5x cheaper ($0.1625 vs $10.00 per million).
Which is cheaper, Gemini 4 Argon or Gemma 3 12B?
Gemini 4 Argon costs $2.00 per million input tokens and $10.00 per million output tokens; Gemma 3 12B costs $0.075 and $0.1625. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 4 Argon or Gemma 3 12B?
Gemini 4 Argon, with 1.05M tokens against 131K.
How many benchmarks is the Gemini 4 Argon vs Gemma 3 12B comparison based on?
31 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Gemini 4 Argon's coding index rests on 5 independent benchmarks and Gemma 3 12B's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.