Model Comparison

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 27BWhich is better in 2026?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 27B is 1.4x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 27B — which is better?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite (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 2.5 Flash-Lite outperforms in 5 benchmarks (FACTS Grounding, Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, LiveCodeBench, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 27B is better at 0 benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 27B is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025

Choose Gemma 3 27B if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite outperforms in 5 benchmarks (FACTS Grounding, Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, LiveCodeBench, SimpleQA), while Gemma 3 27B is better at 0 benchmarks.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 27 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 2.5 Flash-Lite ($0.10/1M tokens) costs the same as Gemma 3 27B ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite ($0.40/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than Gemma 3 27B ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Gemma 3 27B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.40
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 2.5 Flash-Lite 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 2.5 Flash-Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Google
Gemma 3 27B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 27B support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 27B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, while Gemma 3 27B uses Gemma.

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

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License

Open weights

Gemma 3 27B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2025-06-17, while Gemma 3 27B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is 3 months newer than Gemma 3 27B.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Jun 17, 2025

1.0 years ago

3mo newer
Gemma 3 27B

Mar 12, 2025

1.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-01-01, while Gemma 3 27B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite's training data extends to 2025-01-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 27B's cutoff date.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Jan 2025

Gemma 3 27B

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Gemma 3 27B is available from DeepInfra, Novita.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M

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 FACTS Grounding score (84.1% vs 74.9%)
Higher Global-MMLU-Lite score (81.1% vs 75.1%)
Higher GPQA score (64.6% vs 42.4%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (33.7% vs 29.7%)
Higher SimpleQA score (10.7% vs 10.0%)
Google
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 27B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
✓ Preferred
Gemma 3 27B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Google
Gemma 3 27B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Gemma 3 27B.

Which is better, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite or Gemma 3 27B?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite 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 2.5 Flash-Lite compare to Gemma 3 27B in benchmarks?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite scores FACTS Grounding: 84.1%, Global-MMLU-Lite: 81.1%, MMMU: 72.9%, GPQA: 64.6%, Vibe-Eval: 51.3%. Gemma 3 27B scores GSM8k: 95.9%, IFEval: 90.4%, MATH: 89.0%, HumanEval: 87.8%, BIG-Bench Hard: 87.6%.

Is Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite cheaper than Gemma 3 27B?

Both models cost $0.10 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 27B?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite 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 2.5 Flash-Lite and Gemma 3 27B?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 131K), licensing (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License vs Gemma). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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