Model Comparison

Gemma 2 9B vs Llama 3.2 3B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Verdict: Gemma 2 9B vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct — which is better?

Gemma 2 9B (by Google) and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct (by Meta) 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.

Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HellaSwag, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is better at 3 benchmarks (ARC-C, GSM8k, MATH). Llama 3.2 3B Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Choose Gemma 2 9B if…

  • you are already invested in the Google ecosystem

Choose Llama 3.2 3B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HellaSwag, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is better at 3 benchmarks (ARC-C, GSM8k, MATH).

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Fri Jun 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

6.0B diff

Gemma 2 9B has 6.0B more parameters than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct, making it 187.9% larger.

Google
Gemma 2 9B
9.2Bparameters
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
3.2Bparameters
9.2B
Gemma 2 9B
3.2B
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Llama 3.2 3B Instruct specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Llama 3.2 3B Instruct specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

Google
Gemma 2 9B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Fri Jun 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 2 9B is licensed under Gemma, while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct uses Llama 3.2 Community License.

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

Gemma 2 9B

Gemma

Open weights

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Llama 3.2 Community License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 2 9B was released on 2024-06-27, while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 3 months newer than Gemma 2 9B.

Gemma 2 9B

Jun 27, 2024

2.0 years ago

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Sep 25, 2024

1.8 years ago

3mo 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

Google
Higher HellaSwag score (81.9% vs 69.8%)
Higher MMLU score (71.3% vs 63.4%)
Meta
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Higher ARC-C score (78.6% vs 68.4%)
Higher GSM8k score (77.7% vs 68.6%)
Higher MATH score (48.0% vs 36.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 2 9B and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 2 9B
✓ Preferred
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 2 9B
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 2 9B vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct.

Which is better, Gemma 2 9B or Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Gemma 2 9B is made by Google and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is made by Meta. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 2 9B compare to Llama 3.2 3B Instruct in benchmarks?

Gemma 2 9B scores ARC-E: 88.0%, BoolQ: 84.2%, HellaSwag: 81.9%, PIQA: 81.7%, Winogrande: 80.6%. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct scores NIH/Multi-needle: 84.7%, ARC-C: 78.6%, GSM8k: 77.7%, IFEval: 77.4%, HellaSwag: 69.8%.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 2 9B and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Gemma 2 9B supports an unknown number of tokens and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct 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 9B and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Key differences include licensing (Gemma vs Llama 3.2 Community License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 2 9B and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Gemma 2 9B is developed by Google and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is developed by Meta.

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