Model Comparison

Gemma 2 27B vs Grok-3 MiniWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Gemma 2 27B and Grok-3 Mini across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Gemma 2 27B vs Grok-3 Mini — which is better?

Gemma 2 27B (by Google) and Grok-3 Mini (by xAI) 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.

Choose Gemma 2 27B if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Grok-3 Mini if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemma 2 27B and Grok-3 Minidon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Grok-3 Mini specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Grok-3 Mini specifies output context (8,000 tokens).

Google
Gemma 2 27B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-3 Mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemma 2 27B does not.

Grok-3 Mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemma 2 27B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok-3 Mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 2 27B is licensed under Gemma, while Grok-3 Mini uses a proprietary license.

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

Gemma 2 27B

Gemma

Open weights

Grok-3 Mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 2 27B was released on 2024-06-27, while Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17.

Grok-3 Mini is 8 months newer than Gemma 2 27B.

Gemma 2 27B

Jun 27, 2024

2.0 years ago

Grok-3 Mini

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

7mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Gemma 2 27B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok-3 Mini's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 2 27B's cutoff date.

Gemma 2 27B

—

Grok-3 Mini

Nov 2024

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Has open weights
xAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
GoogleGemma 2 27B
xAIGrok-3 Mini
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 2 27B and Grok-3 Mini side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 2 27B
✓ Preferred
Grok-3 Mini
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 2 27B
xAI
Grok-3 Mini

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 2 27B vs Grok-3 Mini.

Which is better, Gemma 2 27B or Grok-3 Mini?

Gemma 2 27B (Google) and Grok-3 Mini (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Gemma 2 27B compare to Grok-3 Mini in benchmarks?

Gemma 2 27B scores ARC-E: 88.6%, HellaSwag: 86.4%, BoolQ: 84.8%, TriviaQA: 83.7%, Winogrande: 83.7%. Grok-3 Mini scores AIME 2024: 95.8%, AIME 2025: 90.8%, GPQA: 84.0%, LiveCodeBench: 80.4%.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 2 27B and Grok-3 Mini?

Gemma 2 27B supports an unknown number of tokens and Grok-3 Mini supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemma 2 27B and Grok-3 Mini?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (Gemma vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 2 27B and Grok-3 Mini?

Gemma 2 27B is developed by Google and Grok-3 Mini is developed by xAI.

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