Gemma 4 31B IT vs Gemma 4 26B A4B IT
Too close to call on our weighted score (Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 70, Gemma 4 31B IT 69). The right pick depends on what you value most.
Google
Gemma 4 31B IT
69/100- ECI142.8
- Price$0.14 / $0.40
- Context262K
Google
Gemma 4 26B A4B IT
70/100- ECI141.9
- Price$0.10 / $0.38
- Context262K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Too close to call
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within a point (Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 70/100, Gemma 4 31B IT 69/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Gemma 4 31B IT for raw capability and Gemma 4 26B A4B IT on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
- CapabilityGemma 4 31B ITCapabilities Index (ECI): Gemma 4 31B IT 142.8 · Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 141.9
- Lowest priceGemma 4 26B A4B ITGemma 4 26B A4B IT $0.17 · Gemma 4 31B IT $0.205 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextAbout the sameGemma 4 31B IT 262,144 · Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 262,144 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGemma 4 31B IT: Text, Images · Gemma 4 26B A4B IT: Text, Images
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Gemma 4 31B IT | Gemma 4 26B A4B IT |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI) | 50% | 69 | 68 |
| Price | 25% | 83 | 86 |
| Inputs & features | 15% | 70 | 70 |
| Context window | 10% | 37 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 69/100 | 70/100 |
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 142.8 (best) | 141.9 |
| ECI rank | #86 of 148 (best) | #93 of 148 |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 75.8% (best) | 73.2% |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 73.3% | 82.2% (best) |
| SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions | 10.4% | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.14 | $0.10 (best) |
| Output | $0.40 | $0.38 (best) |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.205 | $0.17 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 30 providers | Median of 23 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 262,144 tokens | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | Open |
| API model ID | gemma-4-31b-it | gemma-4-26b-a4b-it |
| API providers | 38 (best) | 26 |
| Released | Apr 2, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
Gemma 4 31B IT$2.20
Gemma 4 26B A4B IT$1.76
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemma 4 31B IT or Gemma 4 26B A4B IT?
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within a point (Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 70/100, Gemma 4 31B IT 69/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Gemma 4 31B IT for raw capability and Gemma 4 26B A4B IT on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 4 31B IT or Gemma 4 26B A4B IT?
Gemma 4 26B A4B IT is cheaper at $0.10 input / $0.38 output per million tokens (median across 23 API providers). Gemma 4 31B IT costs $0.14 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (median across 30 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.17 per million tokens for Gemma 4 26B A4B IT versus $0.205 for Gemma 4 31B IT (1.2× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
Gemma 4 31B IT scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): Gemma 4 31B IT 142.8 (#86 of 148) and Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 141.9 (#93 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (140.3–144.9 vs 138.4–143.4), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — Gemma 4 31B IT 75.8%, Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 73.2%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 82.2%, Gemma 4 31B IT 73.3%.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemma 4 31B IT and Gemma 4 26B A4B IT yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, Gemma 4 31B IT leads, which tends to carry over to coding, but test on your own codebase. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemma 4 31B IT and Gemma 4 26B A4B IT share the same 262,144-token context window. Maximum output per response: Gemma 4 31B IT up to 32,768, Gemma 4 26B A4B IT up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemma 4 31B IT accepts text and images; Gemma 4 26B A4B IT accepts text and images. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Gemma 4 31B IT is the newest, released Apr 2, 2026. Gemma 4 26B A4B IT came out Apr 2, 2026.
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 Oct 4, 2026.