Gemma 4 vs LFM3-1.7B
Google · US | Liquid AI · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Gemma 4 for self-hosted, data-private deployment or running locally or on edge devices. Pick LFM3-1.7B for very small open-weight text model - about 1.73b parameters with a 256k-token context for on-device use or liquid says it can power agentic applications that used to need 9b parameters.
Gemma 4 (Google) and LFM3-1.7B (Liquid AI) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Gemma 4 is google's open-weight family: Apache 2.0 licensed, multimodal, and sized from edge devices up, for private self-hosting. LFM3-1.7B is liquid AI's October 27, 2026 on-device text model - about 1.73B parameters and 256K context, with open weights under a license capped at $10M annual revenue. The breakdown below works through their capabilities and ideal use cases so you can match one to your task.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Context window: both advertise 256K (~384 pages). Tie on paper — test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
- ▸Recency: LFM3-1.7B is the newer model by about 7 months (released October 27, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Gemma 4 | LFM3-1.7B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Google (US) | Liquid AI (US) |
| Released | April 2, 2026 | October 27, 2026 |
| Context window | 256K (~384 pages) | 256K tokens (~384 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | Open weight (self-host / free) | Open weight (self-host / free) |
| Open weight? | Yes — self-hostable | Yes — self-hostable |
| Modalities | text, image, code | text |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Self-hosted, data-private deployment
Gemma 4
Gemma 4 lists self-hosted, data-private deployment among its strengths; LFM3-1.7B does not.
Running locally or on edge devices
Gemma 4
Gemma 4 lists running locally or on edge devices among its strengths; LFM3-1.7B does not.
Fine-tuning on your own data
Gemma 4
Gemma 4 lists fine-tuning on your own data among its strengths; LFM3-1.7B does not.
Very small open-weight text model - about 1.73B parameters with a 256K-token context for on-device use
LFM3-1.7B
Gemma 4 is comparatively weak here — trails frontier closed models on the hardest tasks
Liquid says it can power agentic applications that used to need 9B parameters
LFM3-1.7B
Liquid AI's October 27, 2026 on-device text model - about 1.73B parameters and 256K context, with open weights under a license capped at $10M annual revenue — and it is the newer of the two.
Part of a six-model LFM3 family covering text, vision, audio, omni and decision tasks
LFM3-1.7B
LFM3-1.7B lists part of a six-model LFM3 family covering text, vision, audio, omni and decision tasks among its strengths; Gemma 4 does not.
Which should you pick?
Anyone whose priority is self-hosted, data-private deployment
→ Gemma 4
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is very small open-weight text model - about 1.73b parameters with a 256k-token context for on-device use
→ LFM3-1.7B
That is its strongest area.
Gemma 4: where it fits
Google's open-weight family: Apache 2.0 licensed, multimodal, and sized from edge devices up, for private self-hosting. Released April 2, 2026 by Google, it is built for self-hosted, data-private deployment, running locally or on edge devices, fine-tuning on your own data, and multimodal tasks over a 256K context.
Its trade-offs are real: trails frontier closed models on the hardest tasks, and needs your own hardware to run. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
LFM3-1.7B: where it fits
Liquid AI's October 27, 2026 on-device text model - about 1.73B parameters and 256K context, with open weights under a license capped at $10M annual revenue. Released October 27, 2026 by Liquid AI, it is built for very small open-weight text model - about 1.73B parameters with a 256K-token context for on-device use, liquid says it can power agentic applications that used to need 9B parameters, part of a six-model LFM3 family covering text, vision, audio, omni and decision tasks, and supports 16 languages.
Its trade-offs: lFM Open License v1.0 covers commercial use only below $10M annual revenue; larger firms need a paid license, liquid says it is not recommended for agentic coding or complex multi-step reasoning because of its size, text-only; vision and audio need other LFM3 checkpoints, and no published per-token API price found. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
The bottom line for this matchup
Gemma 4 and LFM3-1.7B overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. and each leads in its own area — Gemma 4 for self-hosted, data-private deployment, LFM3-1.7B for very small open-weight text model - about 1.73b parameters with a 256k-token context for on-device use. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Gemma 4 and LFM3-1.7B 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 Gemma 4 or LFM3-1.7B 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 leans toward self-hosted, data-private deployment while LFM3-1.7B leans toward very small open-weight text model - about 1.73b parameters with a 256k-token context for on-device use, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 4 or LFM3-1.7B?
They are priced almost identically, so cost will not decide between them.
Which has the bigger context window?
Both advertise 256K (~384 pages). Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both Gemma 4 and LFM3-1.7B together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Gemma 4, LFM3-1.7B 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 or LFM3-1.7B?
LFM3-1.7B — released October 27, 2026, about 7 months after Gemma 4.
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.