Skip to content
ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Llama 4 Maverick

Gemma 3 12B (Google) and Llama 4 Maverick (Meta) 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 9 September 2026

As of 9 September 2026, Gemma 3 12B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#133 vs #134); Gemma 3 12B is 4.6× cheaper per output token ($0.15/1M vs $0.696/1M); and Llama 4 Maverick offers the longer context window (1M vs 131K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #133 against #134 (30.0 vs 29.1 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.15/1M output tokens against $0.696/1M, about 4.6× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.05/1M against $0.20/1M.

Choose Llama 4 Maverick if…

  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 131K.
  • you want provider choice — 5 listed API providers against 1.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1373 against 1316.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 9.3 against 3.8.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 7.9% against 0.0%.
  • AA τ²-Bench Telecom is your yardstick — 17.8% against 10.8%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 4.9% against 4.2%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Llama 4 Maverick was listed 5 April 2025, Gemma 3 12B 13 March 2025.

Gemma 3 12B vs Llama 4 Maverick: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 12B and Llama 4 Maverick
FieldGemma 3 12BGoogleLlama 4 MaverickMeta
ModelCap Index position#133#134
Index score30.029.1
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05$0.20
Output price / 1M tokens$0.15$0.696
Context window131K tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens16K115K
API providers listed15
Weight accessGated accessGated access
Input modalitiesText, ImageText, Image
First listed13 March 20255 April 2025
PublisherGoogleMeta

Evidence: 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards · 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 3 12B vs Llama 4 Maverick

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 12B or Llama 4 Maverick has a published result
BoardGemma 3 12BLlama 4 MaverickLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13161293–134013731365–1380Llama 4 Maverick
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—0.0%Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)30.4Prompt—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis3.8intelligence-index:v4.3:non-reasoning9.3intelligence-index:v4.3:non-reasoningLlama 4 Maverick
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis0.0%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Gemma 3 12B":reasoning=false7.9%terminal-bench:2.1:terminus-2:e2b:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Llama 4 Maverick":reasoning=falseLlama 4 Maverick
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis10.8%tau2:telecom:dual-control:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Gemma 3 12B":reasoning=false17.8%tau2:telecom:dual-control:pass-at-1:3-repeats:source-model="Llama 4 Maverick":reasoning=falseLlama 4 Maverick
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis4.2%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Gemma 3 12B":reasoning=false4.9%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Llama 4 Maverick":reasoning=falseLlama 4 Maverick

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 Llama 4 Maverick: common questions

Is Gemma 3 12B better than Llama 4 Maverick?

Gemma 3 12B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 9 September 2026: #133 against #134. 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 Llama 4 Maverick?

Gemma 3 12B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.15/1M against $0.696/1M. Input tokens are $0.05/1M for Gemma 3 12B and $0.20/1M for Llama 4 Maverick. 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 $0.75 for Llama 4 Maverick. Gemma 3 12B costs 76.6% 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 Llama 4 Maverick?

Llama 4 Maverick has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 131K.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3 12B or Llama 4 Maverick?

Arena coding: Gemma 3 12B 1316, Llama 4 Maverick 1373 — Llama 4 Maverick leads. AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemma 3 12B 0.0%, Llama 4 Maverick 7.9% — Llama 4 Maverick leads.

Are Gemma 3 12B and Llama 4 Maverick open-weight models?

Gemma 3 12B: Gated access. Llama 4 Maverick: 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 Llama 4 Maverick?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Gemma 3 12B and 5 for Llama 4 Maverick, 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 Llama 4 Maverick comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 9 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.

Explore further