FRI, OCTOBER 16, 2026
Independent · In‑Depth · Practitioner‑Tested
AI Tool Comparison › Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE) vs Grok 3
Head-to-Head Comparison

Gemma 4 vs Grok — Open Weights vs xAI vs

Gemma 4 is Google's open-weight model, free to run locally. Grok is xAI's real-time reasoning AI. We scored both across 34 criteria to find the real winner.

👁 997 views 📅 First compared Apr 3, 2026 📊 33 of 34 criteria comparable 🕓 Scores reviewed Mar 2026
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🏆 Winner
🤖
Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE)
Google DeepMind
Byte for byte, the most capable open models
Free (Apache 2.0 / self-host)Free tierOpen SourceAPIAgents
Intelligence
8.9
Coding
8.8
Creativity
8.3
Usability
8.2
Pricing
9.0
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VS
🤖
Grok 3
xAI
Witty, real-time AI by Elon Musk's xAI
Free / X Premium+Free tierAPI
Intelligence
8.5
Coding
8.4
Creativity
8.3
Usability
7.8
Pricing
7.1
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✓
Why trust this comparison? AIToolsRecap independently scores AI tools across 34 criteria. Trusted by 1,400+ AI practitioners · No sponsored rankings · No affiliate bias.
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📝 Text ✓ ✓
🖼️ Image ✓ ✓
🎤 Voice ✓ ✗
🎬 Video ✓ ✗
💻 Code ✓ ✓
🤖 Agents ✓ ✗
🔌 API ✓ ✓
🆓 Free ✓ ✓
📖 Open Source ✓ ✗
Criterion
Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE)
Grok 3
🧠 Core Intelligence
8.9 8.5
Overall IntelligenceComposite AI intelligence rating
9.0
◀
8.8
Reasoning AbilityLogical / chain-of-thought
9.2
◀
8.8
Factual AccuracyCorrectness on knowledge queries
8.8
◀
8.5
Context HandlingLong-context / big document handling
9.0
◀
8.5
Instruction FollowingComplex prompt adherence
9.0
◀
8.5
Hallucination ResistanceHigher = less hallucination
8.5
◀
7.8
💻 Technical & Coding
8.8 8.4
Coding (General)Broad software development tasks
9.0
◀
8.5
Debugging SkillFinding & fixing bugs
8.8
◀
8.0
Code ExplanationExplaining code in plain English
9.0
◀
8.5
Multi-language SupportPython, JS, C#, Go, Rust…
9.0
◀
8.5
System DesignArchitecture & scalability
8.5
◀
8.2
API / IntegrationREST, GraphQL, SDK knowledge
8.5
=
8.5
🎨 Creativity & Content
8.3 8.3
CreativityOriginality and novel ideas
8.5
▶
8.8
Writing QualityBlogs, articles, long-form
8.8
◀
8.5
Marketing CopyAds, headlines, hooks
8.0
=
8.0
StorytellingNarrative & fiction
8.5
▶
8.8
Image GenerationNULL if not supported
— (N/A)
— (N/A)
Design UnderstandingUI/UX suggestions
7.5
=
7.5
🧑‍💼 Practical Use Cases
8.4 8.1
Business UseReports, strategy, analysis
8.5
◀
8.2
SEO ContentSearch-optimised writing
7.8
=
7.8
Research & SummarizationCondensing complex info
9.0
=
9.0
Productivity AutomationTask & workflow automation
8.5
◀
8.0
Agent CapabilityAutonomous multi-step workflows
8.0
◀
7.5
⚡ Performance & Usability
8.2 7.8
SpeedResponse latency
8.8
◀
8.5
Ease of UseUX and onboarding
8.0
▶
8.5
CustomizationPrompts, tools, plugins
9.5
◀
7.5
Memory / PersonalizationCross-session memory
5.5
▶
6.5
Multimodal SupportText, image, voice, video
9.2
◀
8.0
🔒 Reliability & Ecosystem
8.8 7.8
Reliability / StabilityUptime and consistent output
8.5
◀
8.0
EcosystemPlugins, API, integrations
9.0
◀
7.5
💰 Pricing & Enterprise
9.0 7.1
Pricing ValueValue for money
9.8
◀
8.0
API PricingCost per token / call
9.5
◀
7.0
Enterprise ReadinessSSO, SLA, admin controls
8.0
◀
7.0
Privacy & SecurityData handling & compliance
8.5
◀
6.5
Feature Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE) Grok 3
Text generation ✓ ✓
Image generation ✓ ✓
Voice / audio ✓ ✗
Video ✓ ✗
Code assistance ✓ ✓
Agent / autonomy ✓ ✗
Public API ✓ ✓
Free tier ✓ ✓
Open source ✓ ✗
⚖️
Our Verdict

Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE) and Grok 3 are closely matched on overall intelligence (9.0 vs 8.8). Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE) is the stronger pick for coding (9.0 vs 8.5). Gemma 4 (31B / 26B MoE) offers more for the money (9.8 vs 8.0).

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