Gemini 3 Pro vs Gemma 4 12B
Wins 6 of 8 areas
Coding · Agents · Reasoning · Images and charts · Math · Long documents
Wins 1 of 8 areas
Following instructions
Gemini 3 Pro is the stronger all-rounder.Gemma 4 12B is cheaper and better at following instructions.
Scores updated · 26 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the eight areas we test. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- CodingWriting and fixing software30Gemini 3 Pro3 of 3 tests
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking30Gemini 3 Pro3 of 3 tests
- Images and chartsUnderstanding pictures, charts and video20Gemini 3 Pro2 of 2 tests
- Long documentsFinding answers in very long texts20Gemini 3 Pro2 of 2 tests
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own10Gemini 3 Pro1 of 1 test
- MathCompetition and research-level math10Gemini 3 Pro1 of 1 test
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked01Gemma 4 12B1 of 1 test
- FactsGetting facts right instead of making them up11Even1 each
Agents, math and following instructions rest on a single test each.
What it costs
Prices per million tokens, roughly 750,000 words. The bars show the cost of a million tokens read plus a million written.
Gemma 4 12B costs 97% less for the same work.
The biggest differences
The tests each model wins by the widest margin, up to three each. Scores are out of 100.
Where Gemini 3 Pro pulls ahead
- Answers hard knowledge questions correctlyAA-Omniscience · Accuracy+40.2points ahead
- Finds one of eight look-alike replies in a long chatMRCR v2 8 needle 128k (average)+33.6points ahead
- Very hard expert questions across many subjectsHumanity's Last Exam+24points ahead
Where Gemma 4 12B pulls ahead
- Avoids making up answers it doesn't knowAA-Omniscience · Non-hallucination+10.5points ahead
- Follows unfamiliar, precisely checkable instructionsIFBench+3.1points ahead
Every test, side by side
All 26 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
CodingGemini 3 Pro
- Terminal-Bench HardGemini 3 Pro by 23.541.718.2+23.5
- SciCodeGemini 3 Pro by 17.956.138.2+17.9
- LiveCodeBench v6Gemini 3 Pro by 15.487.472+15.4
ReasoningGemini 3 Pro
- Humanity's Last ExamGemini 3 Pro by 2439.715.7+24
- GPQA DiamondGemini 3 Pro by 15.590.875.3+15.5
- CritPtGemini 3 Pro by 9.19.10+9.1
FactsEven
- AA-Omniscience · AccuracyGemini 3 Pro by 40.255.815.6+40.2
- AA-Omniscience · Non-hallucinationGemma 4 12B by 10.58.519+10.5
Images and chartsGemini 3 Pro
- OCRBenchv2Gemini 3 Pro by 11.663.451.8+11.6
- MMMU-ProGemini 3 Pro by 10.580.269.7+10.5
Long documentsGemini 3 Pro
- MRCR v2 8 needle 128k (average)Gemini 3 Pro by 33.67743.4+33.6
- AA-LCRGemini 3 Pro by 12.37663.7+12.3
Following instructionsGemma 4 12B
- IFBenchGemma 4 12B by 3.170.473.5+3.1
Other results11 tests, not counted
Tests outside the eight areas. They are not counted above: several are summary scores built from other tests, or the same test under another name.
- AA-OmniscienceGemini 3 Pro by 6815.3-52.7+68
- τ²-Bench Telecom (AA run)Gemini 3 Pro by 50.887.136.3+50.8
- AA Agentic IndexGemini 3 Pro by 44.1527.9+44.1
- HLE (with tools)Gemini 3 Pro by 40.645.85.2+40.6
- τ²-BenchGemini 3 Pro by 299869+29
- OCRBench v2 (Chinese)Gemini 3 Pro by 26.363.837.5+26.3
- Artificial Analysis Coding IndexGemini 3 Pro by 15.546.531+15.5
- AA IntelligenceGemini 3 Pro by 13.82814.2+13.8
- MMLU-ProGemini 3 Pro by 12.990.177.2+12.9
- MMMLUGemini 3 Pro by 8.491.883.4+8.4
- MATH-VisionGemini 3 Pro by 6.486.179.7+6.4
Questions people ask
Which is better, Gemini 3 Pro or Gemma 4 12B?
Gemini 3 Pro wins six of the eight areas we test: coding, agents, reasoning, images and charts, math and long documents. Gemma 4 12B wins following instructions, and costs 97% less. They are level on facts.
Which is better for coding?
Gemini 3 Pro. It wins 3 of the 3 coding tests both models report; Gemma 4 12B wins none.
Which is cheaper?
Gemini 3 Pro costs $2.00 per million input tokens and $12.00 per million output tokens; Gemma 4 12B costs $0.10 and $0.30. That makes Gemma 4 12B about 97% cheaper for the same work.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 26 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 15 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 11 are listed but not counted, because several are summary scores or repeat a test. Each score is the one shown on the model's own page.