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Gemma 3 12B vs MiniMax M2

MiniMax M2 leads Gemma 3 12B on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 18.6 to 3.8, and Gemma 3 12B costs 6.3x less per output token ($0.1625 vs $1.02 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 33 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Gemma 3 12B Replace MiniMax M2
Gemma 3 12BGoogle
Coding
No data
Overall
28.0
Output $/M
$0.1625
8
MiniMax M2MiniMax
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$1.02
25
vs boards won of 33 shared

Gemma 3 12B or MiniMax M2: which to pick

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.

Pick Gemma 3 12B for output tokens 6.3x cheaper ($0.1625 vs $1.02 per million) and work measured by LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) or Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.

Model AGemma 3 12BGoogleNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BMiniMax M2MiniMaxNot benchmarked1 independent benchmark$0.702 per solved task
Shared results
33
Gemma 3 12B only
10
MiniMax M2 only
17
Like-for-like categories
7 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.

At a glance

Coding index
Gemma 3 12B not benchmarked, MiniMax M2 not benchmarked.
Widest category
Agentic work, 76.0 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
Widest single gap
τ²-Bench Telecom: Gemma 3 12B 10.8% against MiniMax M2 86.8%, 76.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Gemma 3 12B $0.1625 against MiniMax M2 $1.02 per million output tokens, 6.3x apart.
Context window
Gemma 3 12B takes 131K tokens, MiniMax M2 205K.

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.

Boards won, where both have a result
CategoryGemma 3 12BBarsMiniMax M2Ties
Coding04
Intelligence01
Agentic work01
Reasoning05
Math04
Knowledge32
General58
All shared boards825
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index04
Coding benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
SWE-bench VerifiedNot measured61.0%Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena WebDevNot measured1297Only MiniMax M2 measured
AA Coding Index5.8Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run)13.7%82.6%MiniMax M2
SciCode16.4%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run)0.8%25.8%MiniMax M2
Terminal-BenchNot measured30.0%Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: coding12811371MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: software and IT13131373MiniMax M2
LMArena WebDev: HTMLNot measured1306Only MiniMax M2 measured
SciCode0.0%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
Neither model has a result on the other 28 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Intelligence benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
AA Intelligence Index3.818.6MiniMax M2
Epoch Capabilities Index123.5Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Agentic work benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
AA Agentic Index0.1Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
τ²-Bench Telecom10.8%86.8%MiniMax M2
Vending-Bench 2Not measured$161Only MiniMax M2 measured
Berkeley Function Calling Leaderboard (BFCL)30.4%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
Neither model has a result on the other 37 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index05
Reasoning benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)34.9%77.7%MiniMax M2
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)4.2%13.7%MiniMax M2
GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run)39.5%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
LMArena Text: hard prompts13091357MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: expert12481338MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English13181376MiniMax M2
Kagi LLM BenchmarkNot measured57.8%Only MiniMax M2 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
Math benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
AA Math Index18.378.3MiniMax M2
AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run)18.3%78.3%MiniMax M2
OTIS Mock AIME16.7%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
LMArena Text: math13071351MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: mathematical work13361368MiniMax M2
Neither model has a result on the other 8 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index32
Knowledge benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run)59.5%82.0%MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: science13661348Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare13341367MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: legal and government13811349Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: business and finance13761336Gemma 3 12B
Neither model has a result on the other 13 boards here
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index7 boards, none shared
Web design benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
Design Arena: websitesNot measured1143Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: UI componentsNot measured1137Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: game devNot measured1118Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: data vizNot measured1140Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: 3DNot measured1098Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: all code categoriesNot measured1135Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: SVGNot measured1100Only MiniMax M2 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 2 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index58
General benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
IFBench36.7%72.3%MiniMax M2
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)8.3%64.3%MiniMax M2
DTBench48.8%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
LMCA4.5%Not measuredOnly Gemma 3 12B measured
LMArena Text13341340MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: instruction following12991329MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: creative writing13311286Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: English13491364MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: non-English13181313Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: ChineseNot measured1366Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: German13701357Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: FrenchNot measured1336Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: SpanishNot measured1326Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: Russian13351330Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: PolishNot measured1312Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: multi-turn13341361MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: longer queries13171331MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: writing and language13071295Gemma 3 12B
LMArena Text: entertainment and media12971298MiniMax M2
Neither model has a result on the other 27 boards here
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Image generation benchmarks for Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGemma 3 12BMiniMax M2Leader
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$0.0002Fits in one request
MiniMax M2$0.0008Fits in one request

Gemma 3 12B costs less

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Gemma 3 12B$0.0042Fits in one request
MiniMax M2$0.016Fits in one request

Gemma 3 12B costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Gemma 3 12B$0.017Exceeds the context window
MiniMax M2$0.061Exceeds the context window

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.

Specifications of Gemma 3 12B and MiniMax M2
SpecificationGoogle Gemma 3 12BMiniMax M2
MakerGoogleMiniMax
WeightsOpen weightsOpen weights
ReleasedMarch 13, 2025October 23, 2025
Context window131K205K
Input $/Mtok$0.075$0.255
Output $/Mtok$0.1625$1.02
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it01
Cost per solved taskNot computable$0.702
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Gemma 3 12B better than MiniMax M2 for coding?

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Gemma 3 12B for output tokens 6.3x cheaper ($0.1625 vs $1.02 per million) and work measured by LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) or Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.

Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 12B or MiniMax M2?

Gemma 3 12B costs $0.075 per million input tokens and $0.1625 per million output tokens; MiniMax M2 costs $0.255 and $1.02. Cost per solved task is known for MiniMax M2 only.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 12B or MiniMax M2?

MiniMax M2, with 205K tokens against 131K.

How many benchmarks is the Gemma 3 12B vs MiniMax M2 comparison based on?

33 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Gemma 3 12B's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and MiniMax M2's on 1. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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