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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 4B vs Sonar

Gemma 3 4B (Google) and Sonar (Perplexity) 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 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, Gemma 3 4B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#195 vs #196); Gemma 3 4B is 10× cheaper per output token ($0.10/1M vs $1.00/1M); and Gemma 3 4B offers the longer context window (131K vs 127K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 4B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #195 against #196 (10.9 vs 9.6 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.10/1M output tokens against $1.00/1M, about 10× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.05/1M against $1.00/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 131K tokens against 127K.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemma 3 4B was listed 13 March 2025, Sonar 27 January 2025.

Choose Sonar if…

  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 9.4 against 1.0.

Gemma 3 4B vs Sonar: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 4B and Sonar
FieldGemma 3 4BGoogleSonarPerplexity
ModelCap Index position#195#196
Index score10.99.6
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05$1.00
Output price / 1M tokens$0.10$1.00
Context window131K tokens127K tokens
Max output tokens16K—
API providers listed11
Weight accessGated accessAPI only
Input modalitiesText, ImageText, Image
First listed13 March 202527 January 2025
PublisherGooglePerplexity

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 4B vs Sonar

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 4B or Sonar has a published result
BoardGemma 3 4BSonarLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)12741250–1298—Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)19.6Prompt—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis1.0intelligence-index9.4intelligence-indexSonar

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 4B vs Sonar: common questions

Is Gemma 3 4B better than Sonar?

Gemma 3 4B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #195 against #196. 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 4B cheaper than Sonar?

Gemma 3 4B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.10/1M against $1.00/1M. Input tokens are $0.05/1M for Gemma 3 4B and $1.00/1M for Sonar. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 4B or Sonar?

Gemma 3 4B has the larger context window: 131K tokens against 127K.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3 4B or Sonar?

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 4B and Sonar open-weight models?

Gemma 3 4B: Gated access. Sonar: API only. 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 4B and Sonar?

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

How current is this Gemma 3 4B vs Sonar comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 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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