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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Llama 4 Scout

Gemma 3 12B (Google) and Llama 4 Scout (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 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, Llama 4 Scout holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#172 vs #175); Gemma 3 12B is 2× cheaper per output token ($0.15/1M vs $0.30/1M); and Llama 4 Scout offers the longer context window (1.3M vs 131K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • API cost matters — $0.15/1M output tokens against $0.30/1M, about 2× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.05/1M against $0.10/1M.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 4.2% against 3.8%.

Choose Llama 4 Scout if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #172 against #175 (21.3 vs 19.5 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1.3M tokens against 131K.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 1.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1362 against 1316.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 10.3 against 5.5.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 3.7% against 0.0%.
  • AA τ²-Bench Telecom is your yardstick — 15.5% against 10.8%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Llama 4 Scout was listed 5 April 2025, Gemma 3 12B 13 March 2025.

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

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 12B and Llama 4 Scout
FieldGemma 3 12BGoogleLlama 4 ScoutMeta
ModelCap Index position#175#172
Index score19.521.3
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05$0.10
Output price / 1M tokens$0.15$0.30
Context window131K tokens1.3M tokens
Max output tokens16K16K
API providers listed13
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 Scout

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 12B or Llama 4 Scout has a published result
BoardGemma 3 12BLlama 4 ScoutLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13161293–134013621354–1371Llama 4 Scout
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—0.0%Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)30.4Prompt—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis5.5intelligence-index10.3intelligence-indexLlama 4 Scout
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis0.0%terminal-bench-2.13.7%terminal-bench-2.1Llama 4 Scout
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis10.8%tau2-bench-telecom15.5%tau2-bench-telecomLlama 4 Scout
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis4.2%humanitys-last-exam3.8%humanitys-last-examGemma 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 Llama 4 Scout: common questions

Is Gemma 3 12B better than Llama 4 Scout?

Llama 4 Scout ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #172 against #175. 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.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than Llama 4 Scout?

Gemma 3 12B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.15/1M against $0.30/1M. Input tokens are $0.05/1M for Gemma 3 12B and $0.10/1M for Llama 4 Scout. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 12B or Llama 4 Scout?

Llama 4 Scout has the larger context window: 1.3M tokens against 131K.

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

Arena coding: Gemma 3 12B 1316, Llama 4 Scout 1362 — Llama 4 Scout leads. AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemma 3 12B 0.0%, Llama 4 Scout 3.7% — Llama 4 Scout leads.

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

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

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

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 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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