Model comparison
Gemma 4 12B vs Gemma 4 31B
Head-to-head evidence from 16 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Sibling matchup inside the Gemma 4 family.
Public leaderboard positions: Gemma 4 12B #137 (Estimated); Gemma 4 31B #43 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 31B share 16 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 7 results are unique to Gemma 4 12B; 13 to Gemma 4 31B.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 16
- Gemma 4 12B only
- 7
- Gemma 4 31B only
- 13
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Gemma 4 12B makes more sense if knowledge is the priority, while Gemma 4 31B is the cleaner fit if multimodal & grounded is the priority.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 16 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 31B sit in the same Gemma 4 family. This page is less about two unrelated model lineages and more about how the siblings trade off on benchmark shape, token costs, and practical limits like context window.
Gemma 4 31B is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 61.08 to 47.29. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Gemma 4 31B's sharpest advantage is in multimodal & grounded, where it averages 76.9 against 69.1. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is MMLU-Pro, 77.2% to 85.2%. Gemma 4 12B does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | Gemma 4 12B | Δ | Gemma 4 31B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | Margin← 24.6 | Gemma 4 31B52.9 |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 12B69.1 | Margin→ 7.8 | Gemma 4 31B76.9 |
| Coding | Gemma 4 12BNot measured | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 31B41.6 |
| Reasoning | Gemma 4 12B43.4 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 31BNot measured |
| Math | Gemma 4 12B77.5 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 31BNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 77.2%B 85.2%Winner: Gemma 4 31BΔ 8MMLU-Pro: Gemma 4 12B scored 77.2%; Gemma 4 31B scored 85.2%. Gemma 4 31B wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMMU-Pro
MultimodalA 69.1%B 76.9%Winner: Gemma 4 31BΔ 7.8MMMU-Pro: Gemma 4 12B scored 69.1%; Gemma 4 31B scored 76.9%. Gemma 4 31B wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 78.8%B 84.3%Winner: Gemma 4 31BΔ 5.5GPQA: Gemma 4 12B scored 78.8%; Gemma 4 31B scored 84.3%. Gemma 4 31B wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 31B | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 31B$0 input / $0 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 31BNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 12BNot available | Gemma 4 31BNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 12B256K | Gemma 4 31B256K | Listed context windows are equal. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic9 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 31B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 36.3% | 59.9% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| AA Agentic IndexSource | — | 14.4% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 15.2% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 804 | Not comparable |
| Gert LabsSource | — | 35.26% | Not comparable |
| AA EnterpriseOps-GymSource | — | 28.3% | Not comparable |
| AA ITBenchSource | — | 37.3% | Not comparable |
| AA Tau3 BankingSource | — | 15.1% | Not comparable |
| terminalBenchHardSource | — | 36.4% | Not comparable |
Coding4 benchmarks
Reasoning4 benchmarks
KnowledgeGemma 4 12B wins13 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 31B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 78.8% | 84.3% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| GPQA-DSource | 78.8% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 77.2% | 85.2% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 5.2% | 19.5% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| MMMLUSource | 83.4% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 22.0% | 29.4% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 75.3% | 85.7% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| AA-HLESource | 14.8% | 22.7% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -51.9% | -45.4% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 16.0% | 19.9% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.8% | 81.6% | Gemma 4 12B leads |
| HLESource | — | 26.5% | Not comparable |
| AA Openness IndexSource | — | 38.9% | Not comparable |
Math1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 31B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIME26Source | 77.5% | — | Not comparable |
MultimodalGemma 4 31B wins4 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 12B | Gemma 4 31B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 73.5% | 75.6% | Gemma 4 31B leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 31B?
Gemma 4 12B and Gemma 4 31B are sibling variants in the Gemma 4 family, so the right pick depends on whether you value the better benchmark line, cheaper tokens, or the larger context window. Gemma 4 31B is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard 61.08 to 47.29.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 31B?
Gemma 4 12B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 77.5 versus 52.9. Inside this category, HLE w/o tools is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for multimodal and grounded tasks, Gemma 4 12B or Gemma 4 31B?
Gemma 4 31B has the edge for multimodal and grounded tasks in this comparison, averaging 76.9 versus 69.1. Inside this category, MMMU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Self-host vs API cost
Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.
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