MiniMax-M3 vs Gemma 4 12B IT
Gemma 4 12B IT comes out ahead, 75 to 65 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
MiniMaxMiniMax-M3
65/100- ECI147.0
- Price$0.30 / $1.20
- Context1.05M
- Our pick
GoogleGemma 4 12B IT
75/100- ECI—
- Price$0.075 / $0.275
- Context262K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Gemma 4 12B IT is our pick
Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 75/100 against MiniMax-M3 (65). It leads on price. MiniMax-M3 wins on context window. 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 priceGemma 4 12B ITGemma 4 12B IT $0.125 · MiniMax-M3 $0.525 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextMiniMax-M3MiniMax-M3 1,048,576 · Gemma 4 12B IT 262,144 tokens
- Widest inputsMiniMax-M3MiniMax-M3: Text, Images, Video · Gemma 4 12B IT: Text, Images
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | MiniMax-M3 | Gemma 4 12B IT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 63 | 93 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 70 | 70 |
| Context window | 20% | 61 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 65/100 | 75/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | MiniMax-M3MiniMax | Gemma 4 12B ITGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 147.0 | — |
| ECI rank | #62 of 148 | — |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 90.9% | — |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 71.1% | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.30 | $0.075 (best) |
| Output | $1.20 | $0.275 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.06 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.525 | $0.125 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Over 512K: $0.60 / $2.40 | Same rate |
| Price source | Official MiniMax (minimax.io) API | Median of 2 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens (best) | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output | 512,000 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | Open |
| API model ID | MiniMax-M3 | — |
| API providers | 42 (best) | 2 |
| Released | Jun 1, 2026 | Jun 9, 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.
- MiniMax-M3$5.40
- Gemma 4 12B IT$1.30
Which should you choose?
Which is better: MiniMax-M3 or Gemma 4 12B IT?
Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 75/100 against MiniMax-M3 (65). It leads on price. MiniMax-M3 wins on context window. 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, MiniMax-M3 or Gemma 4 12B IT?
Gemma 4 12B IT is cheaper at $0.075 input / $0.275 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). MiniMax-M3 costs $0.30 input / $1.20 output per million tokens (official MiniMax (minimax.io) API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.125 per million tokens for Gemma 4 12B IT versus $0.525 for MiniMax-M3 (4.2× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. MiniMax-M3 has an ECI of 147.0 and Gemma 4 12B IT has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for MiniMax-M3 and Gemma 4 12B IT 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?
MiniMax-M3 has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 262,144 for Gemma 4 12B IT. Maximum output per response: MiniMax-M3 up to 512,000, Gemma 4 12B IT up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
MiniMax-M3 accepts text, images and video; Gemma 4 12B IT accepts text and images. MiniMax-M3 handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Gemma 4 12B IT is the newest, released Jun 9, 2026. MiniMax-M3 came out Jun 1, 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.
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