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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Gemma 3 4B IT vs Gemma 3 12B IT

Gemma 3 12B IT comes out ahead, 57 to 53 on our weighted score, though Gemma 3 4B IT is 17% cheaper per token.

  1. Google

    Gemma 3 4B IT

    Released Mar 12, 2025

    53/100
    • ECI116.1
    • Price$0.05 / $0.10
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Gemma 3 4B IT
  2. Our pick

    Google

    Gemma 3 12B IT

    Released Mar 12, 2025

    57/100
    • ECI123.5
    • Price$0.05 / $0.15
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Gemma 3 12B IT

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Gemma 3 12B IT is our pick

Gemma 3 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against Gemma 3 4B IT (53). It leads on capability. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGemma 3 12B ITCapabilities Index (ECI): Gemma 3 12B IT 123.5 · Gemma 3 4B IT 116.1
  • Lowest priceGemma 3 4B ITGemma 3 4B IT $0.063 · Gemma 3 12B IT $0.075 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameGemma 3 4B IT 131,072 · Gemma 3 12B IT 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsGemma 3 4B IT: Text, Images · Gemma 3 12B IT: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGemma 3 4B ITGemma 3 12B IT
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%3545
Price25%100100
Inputs & features15%5050
Context window10%2424
Overall100%53/10057/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Gemma 3 4B IT vs Gemma 3 12B IT specifications side by side
SpecificationGemma 3 4B ITGoogleGemma 3 12B ITGoogle
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)116.1123.5 (best)
ECI rank#146 of 148#138 of 148 (best)
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions23.2%39.5% (best)
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics7.5%16.7% (best)
Price per million tokens
Input$0.05$0.05
Output$0.10 (best)$0.15
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.063 (best)$0.075
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 7 providersMedian of 7 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Max output131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model ID——
API providers77
ReleasedMar 12, 2025Mar 12, 2025
Knowledge cutoffAug 2024Aug 2024
03 — Cost

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 4B IT$0.70
  • Gemma 3 12B IT$0.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Gemma 3 4B IT or Gemma 3 12B IT?

Gemma 3 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against Gemma 3 4B IT (53). It leads on capability. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 4B IT or Gemma 3 12B IT?

Gemma 3 4B IT is cheaper at $0.05 input / $0.10 output per million tokens (median across 7 API providers). Gemma 3 12B IT costs $0.05 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (median across 7 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.063 per million tokens for Gemma 3 4B IT versus $0.075 for Gemma 3 12B IT (1.2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B IT scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): Gemma 3 12B IT 123.5 (#138 of 148) and Gemma 3 4B IT 116.1 (#146 of 148). The confidence ranges of the top two overlap (115.6–129.3 vs 97.7–124.3), so treat the gap as small. On individual benchmarks: GPQA Diamond — Gemma 3 12B IT 39.5%, Gemma 3 4B IT 23.2%; OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025 — Gemma 3 12B IT 16.7%, Gemma 3 4B IT 7.5%.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemma 3 4B IT and Gemma 3 12B IT yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. On overall capability, Gemma 3 12B IT leads, which tends to carry over to coding, but test on your own codebase. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Gemma 3 4B IT and Gemma 3 12B IT share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Gemma 3 4B IT up to 131,072, Gemma 3 12B IT up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Gemma 3 4B IT accepts text and images; Gemma 3 12B IT accepts text and images. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Gemma 3 4B IT is the newest, released Mar 12, 2025. Gemma 3 12B IT came out Mar 12, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Gemma 3 4B IT Aug 2024, Gemma 3 12B IT Aug 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 Oct 4, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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