Gemma 3 12B vs Nova Pro
Wins 0 of 7 areas
—
Wins 5 of 7 areas
Coding · Facts · Images and charts · Long documents · Following instructions
Nova Pro is the stronger all-rounder.Gemma 3 12B is cheaper.
Scores updated · 27 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the seven areas where both have results. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- FactsGetting facts right instead of making them up02Nova Pro2 of 3 tests · 1 tie
- CodingWriting and fixing software02Nova Pro2 of 2 tests
- Images and chartsUnderstanding pictures, charts and video02Nova Pro2 of 2 tests
- Long documentsFinding answers in very long texts01Nova Pro1 of 1 test
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked01Nova Pro1 of 1 test
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own00Even0 each · 1 tie
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking11Even1 each · 1 tie
Agents, long documents 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 3 12B costs 95% 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 Nova Pro pulls ahead
- Avoids making up answers it doesn't knowAA-Omniscience · Non-hallucination+19.7points ahead
- Graduate-level biology, physics and chemistry questionsGPQA Diamond+15points ahead
- Reasons across sets of long documentsAA-LCR+12.7points ahead
Where Gemma 3 12B pulls ahead
- Very hard expert questions across many subjectsHumanity's Last Exam+1points ahead
Every test, side by side
All 27 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
CodingNova Pro
- Terminal-Bench HardNova Pro by 5.30.86.1+5.3
- SciCodeNova Pro by 4.416.420.8+4.4
ReasoningEven
- GPQA DiamondNova Pro by 1534.949.9+15
- Humanity's Last ExamGemma 3 12B by 14.23.2+1
- CritPttie00tie
FactsNova Pro
- AA-Omniscience · Non-hallucinationNova Pro by 19.72.622.3+19.7
- AA-Omniscience · AccuracyNova Pro by 6.610.316.9+6.6
- Vectara HHEM hallucination ratelower is bettertie4.45.1tie
Images and chartsNova Pro
Other results14 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-OmniscienceNova Pro by 29.4-77.1-47.7+29.4
- vectara_avg_summary_lengthGemma 3 12B by 23.589.766.2+23.5
- TextVQANova Pro by 13.867.781.5+13.8
- ChartQANova Pro by 13.575.789.2+13.5
- DocVQANova Pro by 6.487.193.5+6.4
- Artificial Analysis Coding IndexNova Pro by 5.25.811+5.2
- HumanEvalNova Pro by 3.685.489+3.6
- AA IntelligenceNova Pro by 3.23.87+3.2
- IFEvalNova Pro by 3.288.992.1+3.2
- τ²-Bench Telecom (AA run)Nova Pro by 3.210.814+3.2
- vectara_answer_rateNova Pro by 1.997.499.3+1.9
- BBHNova Pro by 1.285.786.9+1.2
- vectara_factual_consistencytie95.694.9tie
- GSM8Ktie94.494.8tie
Questions people ask
Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or Nova Pro?
Nova Pro wins five of the seven areas where both have results: coding, facts, images and charts, long documents and following instructions. Gemma 3 12B wins none, but costs 95% less. They are level on agents and reasoning.
Which is better for coding?
Nova Pro. It wins 2 of the 2 coding tests both models report; Gemma 3 12B wins none.
Which is cheaper?
Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05 per million input tokens and $0.15 per million output tokens; Nova Pro costs $0.80 and $3.20. That makes Gemma 3 12B about 95% cheaper for the same work.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 27 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 13 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 14 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.