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Gemma 2 9B vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

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

Google · Meta · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

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.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Gemma 2 9B

  • you are already invested in the Google ecosystem

Choose Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

  • 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

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemma 2 9B
Google
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Meta
Benchmark wins
2 of 5
3 of 5
Input price
— / M
$0.01 / M
Output price
— / M
$0.02 / M
Context window
—
128,000
Released
Jun 2024
Sep 2024
License
Gemma
Llama 3.2 Community License

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.

Tue Aug 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

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
Tue Aug 25 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

2.2 years ago

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Sep 25, 2024

1.9 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→

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

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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