Key Takeaways
Gemma 2 27B wins:
- Higher intelligence benchmark
Gemma 3 12B wins:
- Cheaper input tokens
- Cheaper output tokens
- Larger context window
- Faster response time
- Better at coding
- Better at math
- Supports vision
- Supports tool calls
Price Advantage
Gemma 3 12B
Benchmark Advantage
Gemma 3 12B
Context Window
Gemma 3 12B
Speed
Gemma 3 12B
Pricing Comparison
Price Comparison
| Metric | Gemma 2 27B | Gemma 3 12B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.65 | $0.03 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.65 | $0.10 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Cache Read (per 1M) | N/A | $15000.00 | Gemma 3 12B |
Using a 3:1 input/output ratio, Gemma 3 12B is 93% cheaper overall.
Gemma 2 27B Providers
NextBit $0.65 (Cheapest)
Gemma 3 12B Providers
Chutes $0.03 (Cheapest)
DeepInfra $0.04
Crusoe $0.08
Cloudflare $0.35
Benchmark Comparison
9
Benchmarks Compared
1
Gemma 2 27B Wins
2
Gemma 3 12B Wins
Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Gemma 3 12B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Intelligence Index Overall intelligence score | 36.2 | 8.8 | |
Coding Index Code generation & understanding | - | 6.3 | - |
Math Index Mathematical reasoning | - | 18.3 | - |
MMLU Pro Academic knowledge | 38.4 | 59.5 | |
GPQA Graduate-level science | 16.7 | 34.9 | |
LiveCodeBench Competitive programming | - | 13.7 | - |
Aider Real-world code editing | 36.1 | - | - |
AIME Competition math | - | 22.0 | - |
BBH Big-Bench Hard | 49.3 | - | - |
Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms in coding benchmarks.
Cost vs Quality
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Y-axis:
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Gemma 2 27B
Other models
Context & Performance
Context Window
Gemma 2 27B
8,192
tokens
Max output: 2,048 tokens
Gemma 3 12B
131,072
tokens
Max output: 131,072 tokens
Gemma 3 12B has a 94% larger context window.
Speed Performance
| Metric | Gemma 2 27B | Gemma 3 12B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokens/second | N/A | 33.6 tok/s | |
| Time to First Token | N/A | 11.94s |
Capabilities
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gemma 2 27B | Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Tool/Function Calls | ||
| Reasoning Mode | ||
| Audio Input | ||
| Audio Output | ||
| PDF Input | ||
| Prompt Caching | ||
| Web Search |
License & Release
| Property | Gemma 2 27B | Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Author | ||
| Released | Jul 2024 | Mar 2025 |
Gemma 2 27B Modalities
Input
text
Output
text
Gemma 3 12B Modalities
Input
textimage
Output
text