Gemma 3 27B IT vs Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct comes out ahead, 72 to 62 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
GoogleGemma 3 27B IT
62/100- ECI129.9
- Price$0.11 / $0.30
- Context131K
- Our pick
MicrosoftPhi-4-multimodal-instruct
72/100- ECI—
- Price$0.07 / $0.11
- Context131K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is our pick
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is the better all-round choice, scoring 72/100 against Gemma 3 27B IT (62). It leads on price and inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest pricePhi-4-multimodal-instructPhi-4-multimodal-instruct $0.08 · Gemma 3 27B IT $0.157 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextAbout the sameGemma 3 27B IT 131,072 · Phi-4-multimodal-instruct 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsPhi-4-multimodal-instructGemma 3 27B IT: Text, Images · Phi-4-multimodal-instruct: Text, Images, Audio
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Gemma 3 27B IT | Phi-4-multimodal-instruct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 84 | 98 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 50 | 60 |
| Context window | 20% | 25 | 25 |
| Overall | 100% | 62/100 | 72/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Gemma 3 27B ITGoogle | Phi-4-multimodal-instructMicrosoft |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 129.9 | — |
| ECI rank | #137 of 165 | — |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 47.7% | — |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 22.5% | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.11 | $0.07 (best) |
| Output | $0.30 | $0.11 (best) |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.157 | $0.08 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 16 providers | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output | 131,072 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | Yes |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | OpenMIT |
| API model ID | — | — |
| API providers | 17 (best) | 1 |
| Released | Mar 12, 2025 | Feb 26, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Aug 2024 | Jun 2024 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Gemma 3 27B IT$1.69
- Phi-4-multimodal-instruct$0.92
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemma 3 27B IT or Phi-4-multimodal-instruct?
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is the better all-round choice, scoring 72/100 against Gemma 3 27B IT (62). It leads on price and inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 27B IT or Phi-4-multimodal-instruct?
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is cheaper at $0.07 input / $0.11 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Gemma 3 27B IT costs $0.11 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (median across 16 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.08 per million tokens for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct versus $0.157 for Gemma 3 27B IT (2× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Gemma 3 27B IT has an ECI of 129.9 and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemma 3 27B IT and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemma 3 27B IT and Phi-4-multimodal-instruct share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Gemma 3 27B IT up to 131,072, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct up to 131,072 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemma 3 27B IT accepts text and images; Phi-4-multimodal-instruct accepts text, images and audio. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights (MIT), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Gemma 3 27B IT is the newest, released Mar 12, 2025. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct came out Feb 26, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Gemma 3 27B IT Aug 2024, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct Jun 2024.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.
Related comparisons
- Add Llama 4 Scout 17B InstructThree-way comparison
- Gemma 3 27B IT vs Llama 4 Scout 17B InstructMeta · ECI 129.6
- Gemma 3 27B IT vs Mistral Small 3Mistral AI
- Gemma 3 27B IT vs Qwen3 30B A3BAlibaba (Qwen) · ECI 136.2
- Gemma 3 27B IT vs GLM-4.7-FlashZ.ai (Zhipu)
- Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Command R7B ArabicCohere
- Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Reka Flash 3Reka AI
