Gemma 3 12B vs Phi 4
Updated October 21, 2026. 36 benchmarks have a result for both. Coding is ranked on the Vibe Coding Index; every other board is shown as published.
Decision reading
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Gemma 3 12B has the edge where the context window is larger, 131K against 16K tokens, and where what matters is LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) or Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
- Shared results
- 36
- Gemma 3 12B only
- 5
- Phi 4 only
- 9
- Like-for-like categories
- 7 of 9
Shared results can support a head-to-head reading. Results only one model has describe coverage, not superiority.
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
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Phi 4
Phi 4 leads, 5.9 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
Long documents
Listed context window
Gemma 3 12B
Gemma 3 12B takes 131K tokens against 16K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Phi 4
Gemma 3 12B $0.0002, Phi 4 $0.0001 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Gemma 3 12B not benchmarked, Phi 4 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Knowledge, 22.7 points apart on average over 5 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- LMArena Text: business and finance: Gemma 3 12B 1376 against Phi 4 1199, 29.6 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Gemma 3 12B $0.1625 against Phi 4 $0.14 per million output tokens, 1.2x apart.
- Context window
- Gemma 3 12B takes 131K tokens, Phi 4 16K.
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 | Gemma 3 12B | Bars | Phi 4 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 2 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 2 | ||
| Agentic work | 1 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 4 | 2 | ||
| Math | 5 | 0 | ||
| Knowledge | 4 | 1 | ||
| General | 13 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 29 | 7 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index22
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 5.8 | Not measured | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 13.7% | 23.1% | Phi 4 |
| SciCode | 16.4% | Not measured | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 0.8% | 3.8% | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1281 | 1231 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1313 | 1228 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 32 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 3.8 | 5.9 | Phi 4 |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 123.5 | 130.5 | Phi 4 |
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 0.1 | Not measured | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 10.8% | 0.0% | Gemma 3 12B |
| BALROG | Not measured | 11.6% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 36 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index42
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 34.9% | 57.5% | Phi 4 |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.2% | 3.8% | Gemma 3 12B |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | 39.5% | 56.1% | Phi 4 |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1309 | 1220 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1248 | 1203 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1318 | 1230 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index50
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 18.3 | 18.0 | Gemma 3 12B |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 18.3% | 18.0% | Gemma 3 12B |
| OTIS Mock AIME | 16.7% | 13.8% | Gemma 3 12B |
| MATH level 5 | Not measured | 64.9% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1307 | 1246 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1336 | 1254 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 7 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index41
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 59.5% | 71.4% | Phi 4 |
| MMLU | Not measured | 84.8% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: science | 1366 | 1206 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1334 | 1202 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1381 | 1241 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1376 | 1199 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index130
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 36.7% | 23.5% | Gemma 3 12B |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 8.3% | 0.0% | Gemma 3 12B |
| DTBench | 48.8% | Not measured | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| LMCA | 4.5% | Not measured | Only Gemma 3 12B measured |
| Creative writing (Lech Mazur) | Not measured | 62.6% | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text | 1334 | 1217 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1299 | 1201 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1331 | 1181 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: English | 1349 | 1231 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1318 | 1197 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | Not measured | 1212 | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: German | 1370 | 1222 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | Not measured | 1158 | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: Korean | Not measured | 1151 | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: French | Not measured | 1224 | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | Not measured | 1234 | Only Phi 4 measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1335 | 1209 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1334 | 1206 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1317 | 1217 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1307 | 1198 | Gemma 3 12B |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1297 | 1162 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 25 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | 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
Phi 4 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Phi 4 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Phi 4 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 Gemma 3 12B | Microsoft Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Microsoft | |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | March 13, 2025 | January 10, 2025 |
| Context window | 131K | 16K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.075 | $0.07 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.1625 | $0.14 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Gemma 3 12B better than Phi 4 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Gemma 3 12B has the edge where the context window is larger, 131K against 16K tokens, and where what matters is LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) or Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 12B or Phi 4?
Gemma 3 12B costs $0.075 per million input tokens and $0.1625 per million output tokens; Phi 4 costs $0.07 and $0.14. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 12B or Phi 4?
Gemma 3 12B, with 131K tokens against 16K.
How many benchmarks is the Gemma 3 12B vs Phi 4 comparison based on?
36 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Gemma 3 12B's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Phi 4's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.