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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs gemma 3n E2B it

Gemma 3 12B (Google) and gemma 3n E2B it (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 13 September 2026

As of 13 September 2026, Gemma 3 12B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#146 vs #162).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #146 against #162 (30.7 vs 22.5 points).
  • you want provider choice — 1 listed API providers against 0.

Choose gemma 3n E2B it if…

  • you want the more recently listed model — gemma 3n E2B it was listed 12 June 2025, Gemma 3 12B 13 March 2025.

Gemma 3 12B vs gemma 3n E2B it: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 12B and gemma 3n E2B it
FieldGemma 3 12BGooglegemma 3n E2B itGoogle
ModelCap Index position#146#162
Index score30.722.5
EvidenceMeasuredInherited
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05Unlisted
Output price / 1M tokens$0.15Unlisted
Context window131K tokens— tokens
Max output tokens16K—
API providers listed10
Weight accessGated accessGated access
Input modalitiesText, ImageText, Image
First listed13 March 202512 June 2025
PublisherGoogleGoogle

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · finetune of google/gemma-3n-E4B-it · finetune (100%). Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 3 12B vs gemma 3n E2B it

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 12B or gemma 3n E2B it has a published result
BoardGemma 3 12Bgemma 3n E2B itLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13161293–1340—Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)30.4Prompt—Only one result

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 3n E2B it: common questions

Is Gemma 3 12B better than gemma 3n E2B it?

Gemma 3 12B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 13 September 2026: #146 against #162. 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 3n E2B it?

At least one of the two has no listed API price on ModelCap right now, so no price comparison is made.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 12B or gemma 3n E2B it?

Both publish a 131K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3 12B or gemma 3n E2B it?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Gemma 3 12B and gemma 3n E2B it open-weight models?

Gemma 3 12B: Gated access. gemma 3n E2B it: 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 3n E2B it?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Gemma 3 12B and 0 for gemma 3n E2B it, 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 3n E2B it comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 13 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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