Command A vs Gemma 4 26B A4B
Cohere · Global | Google · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Command A for enterprise rag and retrieval or strong long-context retrieval accuracy. Pick Gemma 4 26B A4B for fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total) or near-31b-dense quality at a fraction of the compute and memory-bandwidth cost. On a tight budget at scale, Gemma 4 26B A4B is the value pick.
Command A (Cohere) and Gemma 4 26B A4B (Google) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Command A is cohere's enterprise-focused model built for retrieval-augmented and grounded workloads. Gemma 4 26B A4B is an Apache-2.0 open MoE with 25.2B total but only 3.8B active parameters, delivering near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the inference cost. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Price: Gemma 4 26B A4B is about 21× cheaper on input ($0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens vs $2.5/$10 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
- ▸Context window: 256K vs 256K — within a few percent of each other, so treat this as a tie and test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
- ▸Recency: Gemma 4 26B A4B is the newer model by about 13 months (released April 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Command A | Gemma 4 26B A4B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Cohere (Global) | Google (US) |
| Released | March 2025 | April 2, 2026 |
| Context window | 256K (~384 pages) | 256K (~393 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $2.5/$10 per 1M tokens | $0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | Yes — self-hostable | Yes — self-hostable |
| Modalities | text, code | text, image, video, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Enterprise RAG and retrieval
Command A
Command A lists enterprise RAG and retrieval among its strengths; Gemma 4 26B A4B does not.
Strong long-context retrieval accuracy
Command A
Gemma 4 26B A4B is comparatively weak here — 256K context trails 1M-token frontier rivals, and this variant has no audio input (audio is E2B/E4B/12B only)
Multilingual
Command A
Command A lists multilingual among its strengths; Gemma 4 26B A4B does not.
Fast, cheap inference from a sparse MoE (3.8B active of 25.2B total)
Gemma 4 26B A4B
At $0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens it undercuts Command A ($2.5/$10 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the compute and memory-bandwidth cost
Gemma 4 26B A4B
An Apache-2.0 open MoE with 25.2B total but only 3.8B active parameters, delivering near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the inference cost — and it runs cheaper at $0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens.
Strong reasoning and coding (88.3% AIME 2026 no-tools, 77.1% LiveCodeBench v6)
Gemma 4 26B A4B
An Apache-2.0 open MoE with 25.2B total but only 3.8B active parameters, delivering near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the inference cost — and it is the newer of the two.
Lowest cost at scale
Gemma 4 26B A4B
At $0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Gemma 4 26B A4B
At $0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens it undercuts Command A, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Gemma 4 26B A4B
Larger 256K window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is enterprise rag and retrieval
→ Command A
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total)
→ Gemma 4 26B A4B
That is its strongest area.
Command A: where it fits
Cohere's enterprise-focused model built for retrieval-augmented and grounded workloads. Released March 2025 by Cohere, it is built for enterprise RAG and retrieval, strong long-context retrieval accuracy, multilingual, and tool use.
Its trade-offs are real: less consumer presence, and narrower modality support. At $2.5 in / $10 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
Gemma 4 26B A4B: where it fits
An Apache-2.0 open MoE with 25.2B total but only 3.8B active parameters, delivering near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the inference cost. Released April 2, 2026 by Google, it is built for fast, cheap inference from a sparse MoE (3.8B active of 25.2B total), near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the compute and memory-bandwidth cost, strong reasoning and coding (88.3% AIME 2026 no-tools, 77.1% LiveCodeBench v6), and multimodal input (text/image, plus video processed as frames up to 60s) with native function calling.
Its trade-offs: all 25.2B parameters must be loaded into memory even though only 3.8B are active per token, and 256K context trails 1M-token frontier rivals, and this variant has no audio input (audio is E2B/E4B/12B only). At $0.12 in / $0.37 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Command A and Gemma 4 26B A4B overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Gemma 4 26B A4B costs less per token; Gemma 4 26B A4B holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Command A for enterprise rag and retrieval, Gemma 4 26B A4B for fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total). Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Command A and Gemma 4 26B A4B without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is Command A or Gemma 4 26B A4B better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Command A leans toward enterprise rag and retrieval while Gemma 4 26B A4B leans toward fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total), and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Command A or Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Gemma 4 26B A4B is cheaper — $2.5/$10 per 1M tokens vs $0.12/$0.37 per 1M tokens, roughly 21× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Effectively neither — 256K vs 256K is a difference of a few percent. Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both Command A and Gemma 4 26B A4B together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Command A, Gemma 4 26B A4B and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, Command A or Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Gemma 4 26B A4B — released April 2, 2026, about 13 months after Command A.
Related comparisons
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.