ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Gemma 3 27B IT

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct comes out ahead, 72 to 62 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    Microsoft

    Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

    Released Feb 26, 2025

    72/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.07 / $0.11
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

  2. Google

    Gemma 3 27B IT

    Released Mar 12, 2025

    62/100
    • ECI129.9
    • Price$0.11 / $0.30
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Gemma 3 27B IT

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

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 samePhi-4-multimodal-instruct 131,072 · Gemma 3 27B IT 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsPhi-4-multimodal-instructPhi-4-multimodal-instruct: Text, Images, Audio · Gemma 3 27B IT: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightPhi-4-multimodal-instructGemma 3 27B IT
Price50%9884
Inputs & features30%6050
Context window20%2525
Overall100%72/10062/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Gemma 3 27B IT specifications side by side
SpecificationPhi-4-multimodal-instructMicrosoftGemma 3 27B ITGoogle
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$0.07 (best)$0.11
Output$0.11 (best)$0.30
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.08 (best)$0.157
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 1 providersMedian of 16 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Max output131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioYesNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenMITOpen
API model ID——
API providers117 (best)
ReleasedFeb 26, 2025Mar 12, 2025
Knowledge cutoffJun 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.

  • Phi-4-multimodal-instruct$0.92
  • Gemma 3 27B IT$1.69
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Phi-4-multimodal-instruct or Gemma 3 27B IT?

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, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct or Gemma 3 27B IT?

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. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has not been scored yet and Gemma 3 27B IT has an ECI of 129.9.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Gemma 3 27B IT 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?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Gemma 3 27B IT share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Phi-4-multimodal-instruct up to 131,072, Gemma 3 27B IT up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct accepts text, images and audio; Gemma 3 27B IT accepts text and images. 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: Phi-4-multimodal-instruct Jun 2024, Gemma 3 27B 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 Nov 2, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

Related comparisons