Gemma 4 12B vs Grok 4.6
Model Markets Rankings
Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency
| Ranking | Gemma 4 12B | Grok 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v1.2 | UnrankedNot in the 22-model eligible cohort | #13 of 2267.6 score |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | UnrankedNot in the 36-model eligible cohort | #18 of 36$0.097 per LiveBench case |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.0 | UnrankedNot in the 22-model eligible cohort | #8 of 2256.6 score |
Ranks come from the current complete eligible cohorts. Green highlights appear only when both models are ranked in the same metric. Missing required inputs remain unranked, and the three dimensions are not collapsed into an overall winner.
Benchmark Performance
Available Benchmarks
Technical Differences
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | Gemma 4 12B | Grok 4.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Google DeepMind | xAI |
| Family | Gemma 4 | Grok 4 |
| Model | Gemma 4 12B | Grok 4.6 |
| Version | Gemma 4 12B | Grok 4.6 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2026-05-23 | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | 2026-02-01 |
| Input modalities | Text, Image, Video, Audio | Text, Image |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 262K | 500K |
| Total parameters | 12B | Unknown |
| Active parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| License | apache-2.0 | Unknown |
| Open weights | Yes | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Provider access | Together Ai (Standard) | Xai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools | chat, generation, reasoning, tools |
13 comparable fields · 10 material differences · Pair passes the primary-source comparison gate
Gemma 4 12B Capabilities
Grok 4.6 Capabilities
Internal Comparison Graph
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Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Gemma 4 12B vs Grok 4.6 FAQs
Is Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.6, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6?+
Only Grok 4.6 has a directly sourced input price: $2.00 per million tokens. Only Grok 4.6 has a directly sourced output price: $6.00 per million tokens.
Which has a larger context window, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6?+
Grok 4.6 has the larger sourced context window. Gemma 4 12B supports 262K and Grok 4.6 supports 500K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6 be self-hosted?+
Gemma 4 12B is the only model in this pair currently marked as self-hostable. Gemma 4 12B is open weight; Grok 4.6 is not marked open weight.
Can Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.6 understand images?+
Gemma 4 12B is documented with image input; Grok 4.6 is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. Gemma 4 12B is — and Grok 4.6 is —.
Do Gemma 4 12B and Grok 4.6 support reasoning and tool use?+
Gemma 4 12B: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Grok 4.6: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6?+
Gemma 4 12B has 1 sourced provider route; Grok 4.6 has 1, a tie.
Which offers better value, Gemma 4 12B or Grok 4.6?+
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.