Model comparison
Gemma 4 26B A4B vs Gemma 4 E4B
Head-to-head evidence from 13 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 26B A4B #67 (Supported); Gemma 4 E4B #155 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Gemma 4 26B A4B and Gemma 4 E4B share 13 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 7 results are unique to Gemma 4 26B A4B; 1 to Gemma 4 E4B.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 13
- Gemma 4 26B A4B only
- 7
- Gemma 4 E4B only
- 1
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Gemma 4 26B A4B makes more sense if you need the larger 256K context window, while Gemma 4 E4B is the cleaner fit if knowledge is the priority.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 13 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 1 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 26B A4B and Gemma 4 E4B 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 26B A4B is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 57.96 to 43.2. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Gemma 4 26B A4B gives you the larger context window at 256K, compared with 128K for Gemma 4 E4B.
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 26B A4B | Δ | Gemma 4 E4B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Gemma 4 26B A4B43.4 | Margin→ 24.0 | Gemma 4 E4B67.4 |
| Multimodal | Gemma 4 26B A4B73.8 | MarginNo overlap | Gemma 4 E4BNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
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- Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 82.6%B 69.4%Winner: Gemma 4 26B A4BΔ 13.2MMLU-Pro: Gemma 4 26B A4B scored 82.6%; Gemma 4 E4B scored 69.4%. Gemma 4 26B A4B wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Gemma 4 E4B | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Gemma 4 26B A4B$0 input / $0 output | Gemma 4 E4B$0 input / $0 output | Listed prices are equal. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot available | Gemma 4 E4BNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Gemma 4 26B A4BNot available | Gemma 4 E4BNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Gemma 4 26B A4B256K | Gemma 4 E4B128K | Gemma 4 26B A4B lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic4 benchmarks
Coding2 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
KnowledgeGemma 4 E4B wins10 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Gemma 4 E4B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU-ProSource | 82.6% | 69.4% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| HLESource | 17.2% | — | Not comparable |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 8.7% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 25.7% | 12.5% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 79.2% | 57.6% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-HLESource | 18.3% | 3.7% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -48.1% | -20.0% | Gemma 4 E4B leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 18.2% | 8.6% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 80.9% | 31.3% | Gemma 4 E4B leads |
| GPQASource | — | 58.6% | Not comparable |
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemma 4 26B A4B | Gemma 4 E4B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 72.4% | 44.2% | Gemma 4 26B A4B leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Gemma 4 E4B?
Gemma 4 26B A4B and Gemma 4 E4B 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 26B A4B is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard 57.96 to 43.2.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Gemma 4 E4B?
Gemma 4 E4B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 67.4 versus 43.4. Inside this category, AA-Omniscience Hallucination Rate is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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