Model Comparison

Gemma 2 9B vs Gemma 3 27B

Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Gemma 3 27B is better at 4 benchmarks (GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH, MBPP).

Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue May 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

17.8B diff

Gemma 3 27B has 17.8B more parameters than Gemma 2 9B, making it 192.2% larger.

Google
Gemma 2 9B
9.2Bparameters
Google
Gemma 3 27B
27.0Bparameters
9.2B
Gemma 2 9B
27.0B
Gemma 3 27B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Gemma 3 27B specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Gemma 3 27B specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

Google
Gemma 2 9B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Google
Gemma 3 27B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Tue May 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 3 27B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemma 2 9B does not.

Gemma 3 27B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemma 2 9B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3 27B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under Gemma.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

Gemma 2 9B

Gemma

Open weights

Gemma 3 27B

Gemma

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 2 9B was released on 2024-06-27, while Gemma 3 27B was released on 2025-03-12.

Gemma 3 27B is 9 months newer than Gemma 2 9B.

Gemma 2 9B

Jun 27, 2024

1.9 years ago

Gemma 3 27B

Mar 12, 2025

1.2 years ago

8mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GSM8k score (95.9% vs 68.6%)
Higher HumanEval score (87.8% vs 40.2%)
Higher MATH score (89.0% vs 36.6%)
Higher MBPP score (74.4% vs 52.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 2 9B
Google
Gemma 3 27B

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 2 9B vs Gemma 3 27B.

Which is better, Gemma 2 9B or Gemma 3 27B?

Gemma 3 27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 2 9B 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 Gemma 2 9B compare to Gemma 3 27B in benchmarks?

Gemma 2 9B scores ARC-E: 88.0%, BoolQ: 84.2%, HellaSwag: 81.9%, PIQA: 81.7%, Winogrande: 80.6%. Gemma 3 27B scores GSM8k: 95.9%, IFEval: 90.4%, MATH: 89.0%, HumanEval: 87.8%, BIG-Bench Hard: 87.6%.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 2 9B and Gemma 3 27B?

Gemma 2 9B supports an unknown number of 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 Gemma 2 9B and Gemma 3 27B?

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