DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B vs Gemma 3 12B
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B and Gemma 3 12B are closely matched at 7.0 and 5.6 on the LLM Stats Score.
DeepSeek · Google · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B and Gemma 3 12B are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 7.0 and 5.6.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
Choose Gemma 3 12B
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B · 26 for Gemma 3 12B
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench), while Gemma 3 12B is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Gemma 3 12B has 4.0B more parameters than DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B, making it 49.4% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Gemma 3 12B specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Gemma 3 12B specifies output context (131,072 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Gemma 3 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B does not.
Gemma 3 12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B
Gemma 3 12B
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B is licensed under MIT, while Gemma 3 12B uses Gemma.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Gemma
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B was released on 2025-01-20, while Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12.
Gemma 3 12B is 2 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B.
Jan 20, 2025
1.7 years ago
Mar 12, 2025
1.6 years ago
1mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B and Gemma 3 12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B vs Gemma 3 12B.