Gemma 3 12B vs Phi 4
API pricing, context window and capabilities for Gemma 3 12B and Phi 4, side by side. Prices are the cheapest listed serving route per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM and OpenRouter.
Verdict
computed from the published numbersGemma 3 12B wins on context window. Phi 4 wins on price and on intelligence. Benchmark data is unavailable for one or both models.
Price
Phi 4
Terminal-Bench
Not called
Intelligence
Phi 4
Context window
Gemma 3 12B
Key takeaways
who wins on what, from the published numbersGemma 3 12B wins
- Larger context window (128K vs 16K)
- Higher max output (32K vs 16K)
Phi 4 wins
- Cheaper input ($0.15 vs $0.07 /1M)
- Cheaper output ($0.50 vs $0.14 /1M)
- More serving providers (1 vs 3)
- Supports tool calls
Cheaper overall
Phi 4
$0.07 + $0.14 /1M
Larger context
Gemma 3 12B
128K
More providers
Phi 4
3 providers
Pricing & specs
cheapest listed route · per 1M tokensOn-demand listed rates, OpenRouter routed quotes and Vercel reseller quotes. Enterprise commitments can be materially lower.
| Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input $/1M | $0.15via Databricks | $0.07via DeepInfra best |
| Output $/1M | $0.50via Databricks | $0.14via DeepInfra best |
| Context window | 128K best | 16K |
| Max output | 32K best | 16K |
| Serving providers | 1 | 3 best |
| Date | Released Mar 13, 2025 | Released Dec 11, 2024 |
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores, side by side| Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 3.8 | 5.9 best |
| Terminal-Bench | 0% | Not available |
| GPQA Diamond | 35% | 57% best |
| Output speed | Not available | 42 t/s |
| Latency (TTFT) | Not available | 2.46s |
Cost calculator
choose a serving route for each sideInput tokens / month
Output tokens / month
Gemma 3 12B
via Databricks
$1.25
Phi 4
via DeepInfra
$0.49
Capabilities
feature support, side by side| Feature | Gemma 3 12B | Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | — | — |
| Tool use | — | ✓ |
| Reasoning | — | — |
| Audio | — | — |
| Prompt caching | — | — |
| Structured output | — | — |
| Web search | — | — |
Related comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 12B or Phi 4?
Phi 4 is cheaper for input ($0.15 vs $0.07 per 1M tokens) from DeepInfra. Phi 4 is cheaper for output ($0.50 vs $0.14 per 1M tokens) from DeepInfra.
What is the context window difference between Gemma 3 12B and Phi 4?
Gemma 3 12B has a 128K-token context window and Phi 4 has 16K tokens, so Gemma 3 12B can take a larger prompt.
How do Gemma 3 12B and Phi 4 compare on benchmarks?
On the tracked benchmarks, Phi 4 leads on intelligence.
Listed prices from LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Vercel · last checked Oct 14, 2026
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