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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3 27B

Gemma 3 12B (Google) and Gemma 3 27B (Google) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 22 September 2026

As of 22 September 2026, Gemma 3 27B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#128 vs #161); and Gemma 3 12B is 3× cheaper per output token ($0.15/1M vs $0.45/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • API cost matters — $0.15/1M output tokens against $0.45/1M, about 3× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.05/1M against $0.08/1M.
  • BFCL V4 is your yardstick — 30.4 against 29.5.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemma 3 12B was listed 13 March 2025, Gemma 3 27B 12 March 2025.

Choose Gemma 3 27B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #128 against #161 (43.7 vs 36.0 points).
  • you want provider choice — 4 listed API providers against 1.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1358 against 1316.

Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3 27B: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 12B and Gemma 3 27B
FieldGemma 3 12BGoogleGemma 3 27BGoogle
ModelCap Index position#161#128
Index score36.043.7
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05$0.08
Output price / 1M tokens$0.15$0.45
Context window131K tokens131K tokens
Max output tokens16K118K
API providers listed14
Weight accessGated accessGated access
Input modalitiesText, ImageText, Image
First listed13 March 202512 March 2025
PublisherGoogleGoogle

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3 27B

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 12B or Gemma 3 27B has a published result
BoardGemma 3 12BGemma 3 27BLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13161293–133913581351–1365Gemma 3 27B
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)30.4Prompt29.5PromptGemma 3 12B

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3 27B: common questions

Is Gemma 3 12B better than Gemma 3 27B?

Gemma 3 27B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 22 September 2026: #128 against #161. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than Gemma 3 27B?

Gemma 3 12B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.15/1M against $0.45/1M. Input tokens are $0.05/1M for Gemma 3 12B and $0.08/1M for Gemma 3 27B. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $0.17 for Gemma 3 12B versus $0.39 for Gemma 3 27B. Gemma 3 12B costs 54.5% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 12B or Gemma 3 27B?

Both publish a 131K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3 12B or Gemma 3 27B?

Arena coding: Gemma 3 12B 1316, Gemma 3 27B 1358 — Gemma 3 27B leads.

Are Gemma 3 12B and Gemma 3 27B open-weight models?

Gemma 3 12B: Gated access. Gemma 3 27B: Gated access. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemma 3 12B and Gemma 3 27B?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Gemma 3 12B and 4 for Gemma 3 27B, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3 27B comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 22 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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