Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Gemma 4 12B
At a Glance
| Compare |  Gemini 3.6 FlashGoogle DeepMind | Gemma 4 12BGoogle DeepMind |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | #19 of 4666.4 score · 3/3 sources · complete | UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | #11 of 44$0.055 per LiveBench case | UnrankedNot in the 44-model eligible cohort |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | #5 of 3863.7 score · 3/3 sources · complete | UnrankedNot in the 38-model eligible cohort |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.75Google AI ↗ · Aug 29, 2026 | Not reported |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $3.75Google AI ↗ · Aug 29, 2026 | Not reported |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 1,049K | 262K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 29, 2026View model evidence → | Sep 3, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Gemma 4 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Google DeepMind | Google DeepMind |
| Family | Gemini 3 | Gemma 4 |
| Model | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Gemma 4 12B |
| Version | Gemini 3.6 Flash | Gemma 4 12B |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | Unknown | 2026-05-23 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text, Image, Video, Audio, Document | Text, Image, Video, Audio |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 1,049K | 262K |
| Total parameters | Unknown | 12B |
| Active parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| License | Unknown | apache-2.0 |
| Open weights | No | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | Yes |
| Provider access | Google AI (Standard), Google Gemini (Standard) | Together Ai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, tools | chat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools |
Gemini 3.6 Flash Capabilities
Gemma 4 12B Capabilities
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Gemini 3.6 FlashGoogle DeepMind | vs |  GLM-5.3Z.ai | cross-developer peerstext |
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Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Gemma 4 12B FAQs
Is Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemma 4 12B, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B?+
Only Gemini 3.6 Flash has a directly sourced input price: $0.75 per million tokens. Only Gemini 3.6 Flash has a directly sourced output price: $3.75 per million tokens.
Which has a larger context window, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B?+
Gemini 3.6 Flash has the larger sourced context window. Gemini 3.6 Flash supports 1,049K and Gemma 4 12B supports 262K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B be self-hosted?+
Gemma 4 12B is the only model in this pair currently marked as self-hostable. Gemini 3.6 Flash is not marked open weight; Gemma 4 12B is open weight.
Can Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemma 4 12B understand images?+
Gemini 3.6 Flash is documented with image input; Gemma 4 12B is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. Gemini 3.6 Flash is 66K and Gemma 4 12B is —.
Do Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemma 4 12B support reasoning and tool use?+
Gemini 3.6 Flash: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Gemma 4 12B: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B?+
Gemini 3.6 Flash has 2 sourced provider routes; Gemma 4 12B has 1, so Gemini 3.6 Flash has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Gemma 4 12B?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.