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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite comes out ahead, 82 to 72 on our weighted score, though Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 28% cheaper per token.

  1. Our pick

    Google

    Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

    Released Dec 11, 2024

    82/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.064 / $0.255
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite

  2. Microsoft

    Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

    Released Feb 26, 2025

    72/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.07 / $0.11
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is our pick

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 82/100 against Phi-4-multimodal-instruct (72). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest pricePhi-4-multimodal-instructPhi-4-multimodal-instruct $0.08 · Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite $0.111 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGemini 2.0 Flash-LiteGemini 2.0 Flash-Lite 1,048,576 · Phi-4-multimodal-instruct 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemini 2.0 Flash-LiteGemini 2.0 Flash-Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video · Phi-4-multimodal-instruct: Text, Images, Audio
  • Self-hostingPhi-4-multimodal-instructPublishes downloadable weights (MIT)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGemini 2.0 Flash-LitePhi-4-multimodal-instruct
Price50%9198
Inputs & features30%8060
Context window20%6125
Overall100%82/10072/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct specifications side by side
SpecificationGemini 2.0 Flash-LiteGooglePhi-4-multimodal-instructMicrosoft
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.064 (best)$0.07
Output$0.255$0.11 (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.111$0.08 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 2 providersMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window1,048,576 tokens (best)131,072 tokens
Max output8,192 tokens131,072 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsYesNo
AudioYesYes
VideoYesNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpenMIT
API model ID——
API providers3 (best)1
ReleasedDec 11, 2024Feb 26, 2025
Knowledge cutoffJun 2024Jun 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite$1.15
  • Phi-4-multimodal-instruct$0.92
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite or Phi-4-multimodal-instruct?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 82/100 against Phi-4-multimodal-instruct (72). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite or Phi-4-multimodal-instruct?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is cheaper at $0.07 input / $0.11 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite costs $0.064 input / $0.255 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.08 per million tokens for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct versus $0.111 for Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite (1.4× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite has not been scored yet and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 131,072 for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct. Maximum output per response: Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite up to 8,192, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video; Phi-4-multimodal-instruct accepts text, images and audio. Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct publishes its weights (MIT) and can be self-hosted; Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is the newest, released Feb 26, 2025. Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite came out Dec 11, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite Jun 2024, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct Jun 2024.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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