A lean, fast, and surprisingly capable budget model best suited for high-volume text tasks where cost efficiency trumps peak quality.
65
Coding
60
Writing
62
Research
0
Images
88
Value
80
Long Context
Use this when
Cost-sensitive applications needing long-context processing with reasonable quality, such as document summarization pipelines or lightweight coding assistants.
Strengths
Exceptional price-to-context ratio at $0.13/$0.40 per 1M tokens with 262K context window
MoE architecture delivers faster inference than a dense 26B model would suggest
Open-weight model allows self-hosting for zero marginal cost at scale
Solid multilingual understanding for a model in this price tier
Weaknesses
Only ~4B active parameters means complex multi-step reasoning lags behind GPT-4o mini and Claude Haiku 3.5
Monthly cost estimate
See what Gemma 4 26B A4B actually costs at your usage level
Input tokens / month1M
10k50M
Output tokens / month500k
10k25M
Input cost
$0.130
Output cost
$0.200
Total / month
$0.330
Based on Gemma 4 26B A4B API pricing: $0.13/1M input · $0.39999999999999997/1M output. Real costs vary by provider discounts and caching. Check the provider for exact current rates.
Price History
Gemma 4 26B A4B pricing over time
→0% since Apr 5
25 data points · tracked daily since Apr 5, 2026
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Cost-sensitive applications needing long-context processing with reasonable quality, such as document summarization pipelines or lightweight coding assistants.. Start free — no card required.
Recommendations are made independently based on real-world use and public benchmarks. See our disclosures for details.
Compare alternatives
Similar models worth checking before you commit.
GoogleBudget
Gemma 4 31B
Gemma 4 31B is Google's open-weight instruction-tuned model offering a strong balance of capability and cost efficiency at just $0.14/$0.40 per million tokens. It features a 262K context window and is designed for developers who need capable on-premise or API-hosted inference without flagship pricing.
Verdict
A well-priced, long-context open-weight model that's ideal for high-volume developer workloads but won't match frontier models on complex reasoning.
Quality score
66%
Pricing
$0.14/1M in
$0.40/1M out
Speed
Change history
Pricing moves, ranking shifts, and capability updates.
New ModelApr 4, 2026
Gemma 4 26B A4B — added to UseRightAI
Gemma 4 26B A4B (Google) is now indexed. It supersedes Google: Gemini 3 Flash Preview. A lean, fast, and surprisingly capable budget model best suited for high-volume text tasks where cost efficiency trumps peak quality.
Gemma 4 26B A4B is best for cost-sensitive applications needing long-context processing with reasonable quality, such as document summarization pipelines or lightweight coding assistants.. It is a strong fit when that workflow matters more than the tradeoffs around budget pricing and fast speed.
When should I avoid Gemma 4 26B A4B?
You need reliable complex reasoning, multimodal inputs, or production-grade instruction-following accuracy — use Gemini 2.0 Flash or GPT-4o mini instead.
What is a cheaper alternative to Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Meta: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is the lower-cost option to compare first when you want a similar workflow fit with less token spend.
What is a faster alternative to Gemma 4 26B A4B?
Anthropic: Claude 3.5 Haiku is the better pick when response time matters more than maximum depth or premium quality.
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Skip this if
You need reliable complex reasoning, multimodal inputs, or production-grade instruction-following accuracy — use Gemini 2.0 Flash or GPT-4o mini instead.
No native image or multimodal input support limits use cases versus Gemini Flash
Instruction-following consistency can be uneven on nuanced or structured-output tasks
Fast
Best for cost-conscious developers needing a capable open-weight model for coding assistance, summarization, and document analysis at scale.
Context
262k tokens
As an open-weight model, Gemma 4 31B can be self-hosted via Ollama or Hugging Face in addition to Google's API. Pricing shown is for hosted inference. No image input capability confirmed at launch.
Open WeightBudgetLong ContextCodingSelf-Hostable
Best for
Cost-conscious developers needing a capable open-weight model for coding assistance, summarization, and document analysis at scale.
Claude 3.5 Haiku is Anthropic's fastest and most affordable model in the Claude 3.5 family, designed for high-throughput tasks requiring quick responses without sacrificing Claude's core instruction-following quality. It handles a massive 200K context window while maintaining speed suitable for production pipelines.
Verdict
The fastest way to get Claude's quality in production — just don't confuse 'fast' with 'cheap'.
Quality score
64%
Pricing
$0.80/1M in
$4.00/1M out
Speed
Very fast
Best for high-volume, latency-sensitive applications like chatbots, classification, data extraction, and agentic tool use where speed and cost matter more than peak reasoning depth.
Context
200k tokens
Output cost of $4/1M is notably higher than competing fast/mini models. Input cost at ~$0.80/1M is competitive. Best value emerges in input-heavy pipelines like document classification or RAG retrieval where output tokens are minimal.
High-volume, latency-sensitive applications like chatbots, classification, data extraction, and agentic tool use where speed and cost matter more than peak reasoning depth.
Gemini 2.0 Flash is Google's high-speed, cost-efficient multimodal model built for high-volume production workloads, offering a massive 1M token context window at near-throwaway pricing. It supports text, image, audio, and video inputs with strong instruction-following and tool-use capabilities.
Verdict
The best bang-for-buck multimodal workhorse for developers who need speed, scale, and a massive context window.
Quality score
76%
Pricing
$0.10/1M in
$0.40/1M out
Speed
Very fast
Best for high-throughput pipelines and agentic tasks where speed and cost matter more than peak reasoning quality.
Context
1.0M tokens
Pricing listed is for standard (non-cached) input/output. Context caching is available and can reduce costs significantly for repeated long-context calls. Image and audio inputs are priced separately. Free tier available via Google AI Studio.
BudgetFastLong ContextMultimodalGoogle
Best for
High-throughput pipelines and agentic tasks where speed and cost matter more than peak reasoning quality.
