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. Pick Microsoft Phi-4 for strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model or mit-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost. On a tight budget at scale, Microsoft Phi-4 is the value pick.
Gemma 4 26B A4B (Google) and Microsoft Phi-4 (Microsoft) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. 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. Microsoft Phi-4 is microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences
Price: Microsoft Phi-4 is about 2.1× cheaper on input ($0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens vs $0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens) — meaningful once you are processing millions of tokens a month.
Context window: Gemma 4 26B A4B holds 16× more — 256K (~393 pages) vs 16K (~25 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Recency: Gemma 4 26B A4B is the newer model by about 15 months (released April 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Specifications
Spec
Gemma 4 26B A4B
Microsoft Phi-4
Provider
Google (US)
Microsoft (US)
Released
April 2, 2026
January 10, 2025
Context window
256K (~393 pages)
16K (~25 pages)
Price (in/out)
$0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens
$0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
Yes — self-hostable
Modalities
text, image, video, code
text, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Fast, cheap inference from a sparse MoE (3.8B active of 25.2B total): 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 carries the larger 256K context.
Near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the compute and memory-bandwidth cost: Gemma 4 26B A4B — Its 256K window holds about 16× more than Microsoft Phi-4's 16K in a single prompt.
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.
Strong reasoning for a small 14B open-weight model: Microsoft Phi-4 — Microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only — and it runs cheaper at $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens.
MIT-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost: Microsoft Phi-4 — At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens it undercuts Gemma 4 26B A4B ($0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Runs on modest or local hardware: Microsoft Phi-4 — Microsoft Phi-4 lists runs on modest or local hardware among its strengths; Gemma 4 26B A4B does not.
Lowest cost at scale: Microsoft Phi-4 — At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input: Gemma 4 26B A4B — Its 256K window is about 16× larger than Microsoft Phi-4's 16K, fitting roughly 393 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: Microsoft Phi-4 — At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens it undercuts Gemma 4 26B A4B, 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 fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total): Gemma 4 26B A4B — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model: Microsoft Phi-4 — That is its strongest area.
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 are real: 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 $0.15 in / $0.6 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Microsoft Phi-4: where it fits
Microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only. Released January 10, 2025 by Microsoft, it is built for strong reasoning for a small 14B open-weight model, mIT-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost, runs on modest or local hardware, and very cheap hosted inference at about $0.07/$0.14.
Its trade-offs: a tiny 16K context — by far the smallest window in this comparison, text only — no image, audio or video input, an early-2025 small model, outclassed on hard tasks by 2026 flagships, and no first-party per-token API; hosted prices are third-party. At $0.07 in / $0.14 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Gemma 4 26B A4B and Microsoft Phi-4 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Microsoft Phi-4 costs less per token; Gemma 4 26B A4B holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Gemma 4 26B A4B for fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total), Microsoft Phi-4 for strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemma 4 26B A4B or Microsoft Phi-4 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, Gemma 4 26B A4B leans toward fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total) while Microsoft Phi-4 leans toward strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Microsoft Phi-4?
Microsoft Phi-4 is cheaper — $0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens vs $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens, roughly 2.1× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemma 4 26B A4B — 256K vs 16K, about 16× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Gemma 4 26B A4B and Microsoft Phi-4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Gemma 4 26B A4B, Microsoft Phi-4 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, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Microsoft Phi-4?
Gemma 4 26B A4B — released April 2, 2026, about 15 months after Microsoft Phi-4.
Gemma 4 26B A4B vs Microsoft Phi-4
Google · US | Microsoft · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
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. Pick Microsoft Phi-4 for strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model or mit-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost. On a tight budget at scale, Microsoft Phi-4 is the value pick.
Gemma 4 26B A4B (Google) and Microsoft Phi-4 (Microsoft) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. 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. Microsoft Phi-4 is microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
▸Price: Microsoft Phi-4 is about 2.1× cheaper on input ($0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens vs $0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens) — meaningful once you are processing millions of tokens a month.
▸Context window: Gemma 4 26B A4B holds 16× more — 256K (~393 pages) vs 16K (~25 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
▸Recency: Gemma 4 26B A4B is the newer model by about 15 months (released April 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
Spec
Gemma 4 26B A4B
Microsoft Phi-4
Provider
Google (US)
Microsoft (US)
Released
April 2, 2026
January 10, 2025
Context window
256K (~393 pages)
16K (~25 pages)
Price (in/out)
$0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens
$0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
Yes — self-hostable
Modalities
text, image, video, code
text, code
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Fast, cheap inference from a sparse MoE (3.8B active of 25.2B total)
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 carries the larger 256K context.
Near-31B-dense quality at a fraction of the compute and memory-bandwidth cost
Gemma 4 26B A4B
Its 256K window holds about 16× more than Microsoft Phi-4's 16K in a single prompt.
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.
Strong reasoning for a small 14B open-weight model
Microsoft Phi-4
Microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only — and it runs cheaper at $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens.
MIT-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost
Microsoft Phi-4
At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens it undercuts Gemma 4 26B A4B ($0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Runs on modest or local hardware
Microsoft Phi-4
Microsoft Phi-4 lists runs on modest or local hardware among its strengths; Gemma 4 26B A4B does not.
Lowest cost at scale
Microsoft Phi-4
At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input
Gemma 4 26B A4B
Its 256K window is about 16× larger than Microsoft Phi-4's 16K, fitting roughly 393 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Microsoft Phi-4
At $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens it undercuts Gemma 4 26B A4B, 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 fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total)
→ Gemma 4 26B A4B
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model
→ Microsoft Phi-4
That is its strongest area.
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 are real: 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 $0.15 in / $0.6 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Microsoft Phi-4: where it fits
Microsoft's MIT-licensed 14B open model — strong reasoning for its size and very cheap, but a tiny 16K context and text-only. Released January 10, 2025 by Microsoft, it is built for strong reasoning for a small 14B open-weight model, mIT-licensed — fully self-hostable at no per-token cost, runs on modest or local hardware, and very cheap hosted inference at about $0.07/$0.14.
Its trade-offs: a tiny 16K context — by far the smallest window in this comparison, text only — no image, audio or video input, an early-2025 small model, outclassed on hard tasks by 2026 flagships, and no first-party per-token API; hosted prices are third-party. At $0.07 in / $0.14 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Gemma 4 26B A4B and Microsoft Phi-4 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Microsoft Phi-4 costs less per token; Gemma 4 26B A4B holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Gemma 4 26B A4B for fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total), Microsoft Phi-4 for strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Gemma 4 26B A4B and Microsoft Phi-4 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.
Is Gemma 4 26B A4B or Microsoft Phi-4 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, Gemma 4 26B A4B leans toward fast, cheap inference from a sparse moe (3.8b active of 25.2b total) while Microsoft Phi-4 leans toward strong reasoning for a small 14b open-weight model, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Microsoft Phi-4?
Microsoft Phi-4 is cheaper — $0.15/$0.6 per 1M tokens vs $0.07/$0.14 per 1M tokens, roughly 2.1× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemma 4 26B A4B — 256K vs 16K, about 16× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Gemma 4 26B A4B and Microsoft Phi-4 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Gemma 4 26B A4B, Microsoft Phi-4 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, Gemma 4 26B A4B or Microsoft Phi-4?
Gemma 4 26B A4B — released April 2, 2026, about 15 months after Microsoft Phi-4.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.