Gemma 2 9B vs Gemma 3n E4B
Gemma 2 9B and Gemma 3n E4B are closely matched at -4.8 and -6.1 on the LLM Stats Score.
Google · Google · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 2 9B and Gemma 3n E4B are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at -4.8 and -6.1.
In the 9 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemma 2 9B wins 9; 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 Gemma 2 9B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 9 of 9 exact shared results
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Gemma 3n E4B
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
16 reported for Gemma 2 9B · 11 for Gemma 3n E4B
Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 9 benchmarks (ARC-C, ARC-E, BoolQ, HellaSwag, Natural Questions, PIQA, Social IQa, TriviaQA, Winogrande), while Gemma 3n E4B is better at 0 benchmarks.
Gemma 2 9B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Gemma 2 9B has 1.2B more parameters than Gemma 3n E4B, making it 15.5% larger.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Gemma 3n E4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemma 2 9B does not.
Gemma 3n E4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 2 9B
Gemma 3n E4B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 2 9B is licensed under Gemma, while Gemma 3n E4B uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 2 9B was released on 2024-06-27, while Gemma 3n E4B was released on 2025-06-26.
Gemma 3n E4B is 12 months newer than Gemma 2 9B.
Jun 27, 2024
2.2 years ago
Jun 26, 2025
1.2 years ago
12mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 3n E4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Gemma 2 9B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemma 3n E4B's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 2 9B's cutoff date.
—
Jun 2024
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 2 9B and Gemma 3n E4B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 2 9B vs Gemma 3n E4B.