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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 27B vs Qwen3 Coder Next

Gemma 3 27B (Google) and Qwen3 Coder Next (Qwen) 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, Gemma 3 27B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#90 vs #91); Gemma 3 27B is 1.8× cheaper per output token ($0.45/1M vs $0.80/1M); Qwen3 Coder Next offers the longer context window (262K vs 131K tokens); and Qwen3 Coder Next ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 27B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #90 against #91 (28.5 vs 28.0 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.45/1M output tokens against $0.80/1M, about 1.8× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.08/1M against $0.12/1M.

Choose Qwen3 Coder Next if…

  • you need the longer context window — 262K tokens against 131K.
  • you want to self-host: Qwen3 Coder Next ships open weights while Gemma 3 27B is gated access.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 21.3 against 7.4.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 38.2% against 4.5%.
  • AA τ²-Bench Telecom is your yardstick — 79.5% against 10.5%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 10.1% against 4.4%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3 Coder Next was listed 4 February 2026, Gemma 3 27B 12 March 2025.

Gemma 3 27B vs Qwen3 Coder Next: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 27B and Qwen3 Coder Next
FieldGemma 3 27BGoogleQwen3 Coder NextQwen
ModelCap Index position#90#91
Index score28.528.0
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.08$0.12
Output price / 1M tokens$0.45$0.80
Context window131K tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens118K236K
API providers listed44
Weight accessGated accessOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, ImageText
First listed12 March 20254 February 2026
PublisherGoogleQwen

Evidence: 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards · 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 3 27B vs Qwen3 Coder Next

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 27B or Qwen3 Coder Next has a published result
BoardGemma 3 27BQwen3 Coder NextLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13581351–1365—Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)29.5Prompt—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis7.4intelligence-index21.3intelligence-indexQwen3 Coder Next
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis4.5%terminal-bench-2.138.2%terminal-bench-2.1Qwen3 Coder Next
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis10.5%tau2-bench-telecom79.5%tau2-bench-telecomQwen3 Coder Next
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis4.4%humanitys-last-exam10.1%humanitys-last-examQwen3 Coder Next

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 27B vs Qwen3 Coder Next: common questions

Is Gemma 3 27B better than Qwen3 Coder Next?

Gemma 3 27B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #90 against #91. 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 27B cheaper than Qwen3 Coder Next?

Gemma 3 27B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.45/1M against $0.80/1M. Input tokens are $0.08/1M for Gemma 3 27B and $0.12/1M for Qwen3 Coder Next. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 27B or Qwen3 Coder Next?

Qwen3 Coder Next has the larger context window: 262K tokens against 131K.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3 27B or Qwen3 Coder Next?

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemma 3 27B 4.5%, Qwen3 Coder Next 38.2% — Qwen3 Coder Next leads.

Are Gemma 3 27B and Qwen3 Coder Next open-weight models?

Gemma 3 27B: Gated access. Qwen3 Coder Next: Open weights. 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 27B and Qwen3 Coder Next?

ModelCap currently lists 4 API providers for Gemma 3 27B and 4 for Qwen3 Coder Next, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemma 3 27B vs Qwen3 Coder Next 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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