Model Comparison

Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemma 3 27BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 27B is 2.1x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemma 3 27B — which is better?

Gemini 1.5 Flash (by Google) and Gemma 3 27B (by Google) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Gemini 1.5 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Gemma 3 27B is better at 7 benchmarks (BIG-Bench Hard, GSM8k, HiddenMath, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro, Natural2Code). Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 27B is roughly 2.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 1.5 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window

Choose Gemma 3 27B if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 7 of 8 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 2.1x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

8 benchmarks

Gemini 1.5 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Gemma 3 27B is better at 7 benchmarks (BIG-Bench Hard, GSM8k, HiddenMath, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro, Natural2Code).

Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 27B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Gemma 3 27B ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash ($0.60/1M tokens) is 3.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 27B ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 1.5 Flash is more expensive than Gemma 3 27B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerGoogle
Google
Gemma 3 27B
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.20
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 1.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 27B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 27B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Google
Gemma 3 27B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 27B support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 27B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 1.5 Flash is licensed under a proprietary license, while Gemma 3 27B uses Gemma.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Gemma 3 27B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 1.5 Flash was released on 2024-05-01, while Gemma 3 27B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemma 3 27B is 11 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

May 1, 2024

2.2 years ago

Gemma 3 27B

Mar 12, 2025

1.4 years ago

10mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-11-01, while Gemma 3 27B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Flash's training data extends to 2023-11-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 27B's cutoff date.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

Nov 2023

Gemma 3 27B

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 1.5 Flash is available from Google. Gemma 3 27B is available from DeepInfra, Novita.

Gemini 1.5 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M

Gemma 3 27B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.11/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (51.0% vs 42.4%)
Google
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher BIG-Bench Hard score (87.6% vs 85.5%)
Higher GSM8k score (95.9% vs 86.2%)
Higher HiddenMath score (60.3% vs 47.2%)
Higher HumanEval score (87.8% vs 74.3%)
Higher MATH score (89.0% vs 77.9%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (67.5% vs 67.3%)
Higher Natural2Code score (84.5% vs 79.8%)
GoogleGemini 1.5 Flash
GoogleGemma 3 27B
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 27B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 1.5 Flash
✓ Preferred
Gemma 3 27B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash
Google
Gemma 3 27B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Gemma 3 27B.

Which is better, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Gemma 3 27B?

Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash is made by Google and Gemma 3 27B is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 1.5 Flash compare to Gemma 3 27B in benchmarks?

Gemini 1.5 Flash scores XSTest: 97.0%, FLEURS: 90.4%, HellaSwag: 86.5%, GSM8k: 86.2%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.5%. Gemma 3 27B scores GSM8k: 95.9%, IFEval: 90.4%, MATH: 89.0%, HumanEval: 87.8%, BIG-Bench Hard: 87.6%.

Is Gemini 1.5 Flash cheaper than Gemma 3 27B?

Gemma 3 27B is 1.5x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.15/M input and $0.60/M output via google. Gemma 3 27B costs $0.10/M input and $0.20/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 27B?

Gemini 1.5 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Gemma 3 27B supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 1.5 Flash and Gemma 3 27B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 131K), input pricing ($0.15 vs $0.10/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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