API cost decision in 10 seconds

Gemma 4 26B A4B vs GPT-5.3-Codex

Pick Gemma 4 26B A4B for lower cost; pick GPT-5.3-Codex only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Gemma 4 26B A4B for lower cost; pick GPT-5.3-Codex only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 26B A4B is estimated at $0.23 vs $8.75 for GPT-5.3-Codex, saving $8.53 (97.4% lower).

Cost-first pickGemma 4 26B A4B
Context-first pickGPT-5.3-Codex
Sample savings$8.5397.4%
10x traffic gap$85.25

GPT-5.3-Codex has more context, but Gemma 4 26B A4B saves $8.53 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $85.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Gemma 4 26B A4B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGemma 4 26B A4BGPT-5.3-Codex
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGemma 4 26B A4B$0.46$15.75
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGemma 4 26B A4B$0.39$15.75
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGemma 4 26B A4B$1.71$71.75
Cheaper input Gemma 4 26B A4B $0.06 vs $1.75 / 1M

Gemma 4 26B A4B is $1.69 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96.6% lower; 29.2x difference).

Cheaper output Gemma 4 26B A4B $0.33 vs $14 / 1M

Gemma 4 26B A4B is $13.67 cheaper per 1M output tokens (97.6% lower; 42.4x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.3-Codex 262.14K vs 400K

GPT-5.3-Codex has 137.86K more context (1.53x larger).

Sample workload Gemma 4 26B A4B $0.23 vs $8.75

Gemma 4 26B A4B is $8.53 cheaper on the standard workload (97.4% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Gemma 4 26B A4B Calculating… Estimated API cost
GPT-5.3-Codex Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Gemma 4 26B A4B has the lower input price; Gemma 4 26B A4B has the lower output price; GPT-5.3-Codex offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemma 4 26B A4B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.23 for Gemma 4 26B A4B and $8.75 for GPT-5.3-Codex.

Best Fit

Choose Gemma 4 26B A4B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose GPT-5.3-Codex when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 26B A4B is estimated at $0.23 vs $8.75 for GPT-5.3-Codex, saving $8.53 (97.4% lower).
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B is $8.53 cheaper on the standard workload (97.4% lower).
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B is $1.69 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96.6% lower; 29.2x difference).
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B is $13.67 cheaper per 1M output tokens (97.6% lower; 42.4x difference).
  • GPT-5.3-Codex has 137.86K more context (1.53x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGemma 4 26B A4B
(Google)		GPT-5.3-Codex
(OpenAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.06$1.75
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$0.33$14
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.23$8.75
Context Window262.14K400K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGemma 4 26B A4BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 4 26B A4B is estimated at $0.23 vs $8.75 for GPT-5.3-Codex, saving $8.53 (97.4% lower).
High-volume input processingGemma 4 26B A4BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGemma 4 26B A4BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.3-CodexA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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Google catalog

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OpenAI catalog

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Gemma 4 26B A4B

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GPT-5.3-Codex

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