Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B at a glance

Gemma 4 26B-A4B from Google and Qwen3.5 4B from Alibaba Cloud are both in the Text Generation category, available through the EmpirioLabs API.

Key differences

• Gemma 4 26B-A4B is the newer release (Mar 31, 2026); Qwen3.5 4B was released on Mar 2, 2026.
• Both models have a context window of 256K tokens.
• Qwen3.5 4B lists the lower rate for Input (per 1M prompt tokens) and Output (per 1M generated tokens).

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B: specs

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B: API pricing

Live rates from the EmpirioLabs catalog for both models. Each rate card always matches what the API charges.

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B: API parameters

Request parameters each model lists on EmpirioLabs, with the allowed values or range where one applies. A dash marks a parameter the model does not list.

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B: limits and notes

Gemma 4 26B-A4B

Supports text, image, and video input, streaming, function tools, structured JSON output, seed control, and thinking mode on by default. Use reasoning_effort or thinking_budget for bounded thinking, or enable_thinking=false for direct answers. Automatic cache reads are billed at the cached-input rate when reported by the model service. Explicit cache controls are not supported.

Qwen3.5 4B

Supports text, image, and video input, streaming, function tools, structured JSON output, seed control, and thinking mode on by default. Use reasoning_effort or thinking_budget for bounded thinking, or enable_thinking=false for direct answers. Automatic cache reads are billed at the cached-input rate when reported by the model service. Explicit cache controls are not supported.

How to call Gemma 4 26B-A4B and Qwen3.5 4B

Gemma 4 26B-A4B serves the OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions API. Point any OpenAI SDK at https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1 with your EmpirioLabs API key and use the model id gemma-4-26b-a4b. Both models are called through the same endpoint. Set model to gemma-4-26b-a4b or qwen3-5-4b. Get an API key from the EmpirioLabs dashboard.

curl https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gemma-4-26b-a4b",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Write a haiku about the ocean."}
    ]
  }'

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B: tests and guides

Prompt tests and comparison runs that cover both models.

Guides LightOnOCR-3 4B vs Qwen3.5 4B vs Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Mistral Small 3.1: OCR on three documents A document OCR model and three vision chat models on the same three pages (an invoice, a two-column report, and lecture...

Gemma 4 26B-A4B vs Qwen3.5 4B: common questions

What is the difference between Gemma 4 26B-A4B and Qwen3.5 4B?

Gemma 4 26B-A4B is the newer release (Mar 31, 2026); Qwen3.5 4B was released on Mar 2, 2026. Both models have a context window of 256K tokens. Qwen3.5 4B lists the lower rate for Input (per 1M prompt tokens) and Output (per 1M generated tokens). The specs, rate cards, and parameters on this page come from the live EmpirioLabs catalog.

Which is newer, Gemma 4 26B-A4B or Qwen3.5 4B?

Gemma 4 26B-A4B is the newer release (Mar 31, 2026); Qwen3.5 4B was released on Mar 2, 2026.

Which has the lower rate, Gemma 4 26B-A4B or Qwen3.5 4B?

Qwen3.5 4B lists the lower rate for Input (per 1M prompt tokens) and Output (per 1M generated tokens). Both live rate cards are on this page and always match what the API charges.

Can I switch between Gemma 4 26B-A4B and Qwen3.5 4B without rebuilding my integration?

Yes. Both models use POST /v1/chat/completions with the same EmpirioLabs API key, so most integrations switch by changing the model value. Check the parameters table on this page first if you rely on a model-specific parameter.

Can I try Gemma 4 26B-A4B and Qwen3.5 4B in the browser before integrating?

Yes. Open each model in the EmpirioLabs playground and run the same prompt on both, with the parameters the API exposes.