Gemma 2 9B vs Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Google · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (MATH, MMLU). Llama 3.2 90B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
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 90B Instruct
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (MATH, MMLU).
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct has 80.8B more parameters than Gemma 2 9B, making it 874.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Llama 3.2 90B Instruct specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Llama 3.2 90B Instruct specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemma 2 9B does not.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 2 9B
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 2 9B is licensed under Gemma, while Llama 3.2 90B Instruct uses Llama 3.2.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Llama 3.2
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 2 9B was released on 2024-06-27, while Llama 3.2 90B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is 3 months newer than Gemma 2 9B.
Jun 27, 2024
2.2 years ago
Sep 25, 2024
1.9 years ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 2 9B and Llama 3.2 90B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 2 9B vs Llama 3.2 90B Instruct.