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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 4 31B vs Qwen3.8 27B

Gemma 4 31B (Google) and Qwen3.8 27B (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 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, Qwen3.8 27B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#16 vs #30); and Gemma 4 31B is 9.4× cheaper per output token ($0.34/1M vs $3.20/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 4 31B if…

  • API cost matters — $0.34/1M output tokens against $3.20/1M, about 9.4× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.10/1M against $0.45/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 16 listed API providers against 3.

Choose Qwen3.8 27B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #16 against #30 (69.6 vs 60.0 points).
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 52.0 against 29.7.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3.8 27B was listed 14 August 2026, Gemma 4 31B 2 April 2026.

Gemma 4 31B vs Qwen3.8 27B: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 4 31B and Qwen3.8 27B
FieldGemma 4 31BGoogleQwen3.8 27BQwen
ModelCap Index position#30#16
Index score60.069.6
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.10$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$0.34$3.20
Context window262K tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens262K131K
API providers listed163
Weight accessOpen weightsOpen weights
Input modalitiesImage, Text, VideoText, Image, Video
First listed2 April 202614 August 2026
PublisherGoogleQwen

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 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 4 31B vs Qwen3.8 27B

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 4 31B or Qwen3.8 27B has a published result
BoardGemma 4 31BQwen3.8 27BLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14991483–1514—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena-18.9%-21.7%–-16.0%—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis29.7intelligence-index52.0intelligence-indexQwen3.8 27B

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 4 31B vs Qwen3.8 27B: common questions

Is Gemma 4 31B better than Qwen3.8 27B?

Qwen3.8 27B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #16 against #30. 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 4 31B cheaper than Qwen3.8 27B?

Gemma 4 31B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.34/1M against $3.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.10/1M for Gemma 4 31B and $0.45/1M for Qwen3.8 27B. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 4 31B or Qwen3.8 27B?

Both publish a 262K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 4 31B or Qwen3.8 27B?

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 4 31B and Qwen3.8 27B open-weight models?

Gemma 4 31B: Open weights. Qwen3.8 27B: 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 4 31B and Qwen3.8 27B?

ModelCap currently lists 16 API providers for Gemma 4 31B and 3 for Qwen3.8 27B, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemma 4 31B vs Qwen3.8 27B 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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