Skip to content
ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemma 4 26B A4B

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite (Google) and Gemma 4 26B A4B (Google) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 22 September 2026

As of 22 September 2026, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#33 vs #38); Gemma 4 26B A4B is 8.3× cheaper per output token ($0.30/1M vs $2.50/1M); Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite offers the longer context window (1M vs 262K tokens); and Gemma 4 26B A4B ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #33 against #38 (72.2 vs 70.2 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 262K.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1504 against 1481.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 18.8% against 11.5%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite was listed 21 July 2026, Gemma 4 26B A4B 3 April 2026.

Choose Gemma 4 26B A4B if…

  • API cost matters — $0.30/1M output tokens against $2.50/1M, about 8.3× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.09/1M against $0.30/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Gemma 4 26B A4B ships open weights while Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 12 listed API providers against 2.

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemma 4 26B A4B: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and Gemma 4 26B A4B
FieldGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGoogleGemma 4 26B A4BGoogle
ModelCap Index position#33#38
Index score72.270.2
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$0.09
Output price / 1M tokens$2.50$0.30
Context window1M tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens66K236K
API providers listed212
Weight accessAPI onlyOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, File, AudioImage, Text, Video
First listed21 July 20263 April 2026
PublisherGoogleGoogle

Evidence: 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemma 4 26B A4B

Public benchmark boards where Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or Gemma 4 26B A4B has a published result
BoardGemini 3.5 Flash LiteGemma 4 26B A4BLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15041496–151214811466–1496Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
LMArena AgentLMArena-15.3%-16.7%–-14.0%—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation10.3%High—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis22.2intelligence-index:v4.3:reasoning-unspecified—Only one result
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis—40.4%tau2:telecom:dual-control:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Gemma 4 26B A4B (Non-reasoning)":reasoning=falseOnly one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis18.8%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite":reasoning=true11.5%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Gemma 4 26B A4B (Non-reasoning)":reasoning=falseGemini 3.5 Flash Lite

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemma 4 26B A4B: common questions

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite better than Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 22 September 2026: #33 against #38. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite cheaper than Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Gemma 4 26B A4B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.30/1M against $2.50/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and $0.09/1M for Gemma 4 26B A4B. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $1.85 for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite versus $0.33 for Gemma 4 26B A4B. Gemma 4 26B A4B costs 82.2% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 262K.

Which is better for coding, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite or Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Arena coding: Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite 1504, Gemma 4 26B A4B 1481 — Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite leads.

Are Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and Gemma 4 26B A4B open-weight models?

Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite: API only. Gemma 4 26B A4B: Open weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and Gemma 4 26B A4B?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite and 12 for Gemma 4 26B A4B, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite vs Gemma 4 26B A4B comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 22 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

Explore further