Model Comparison

Gemma 2 9B vs Qwen2 72B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen2 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Gemma 2 9B vs Qwen2 72B Instruct — which is better?

Gemma 2 9B (by Google) and Qwen2 72B Instruct (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 8 benchmarks (ARC-C, GSM8k, HellaSwag, HumanEval, MATH, MBPP, MMLU, Winogrande). Qwen2 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Gemma 2 9B if…

  • you are already invested in the Google ecosystem

Choose Qwen2 72B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 8 of 8 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2024

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

8 benchmarks

Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 8 benchmarks (ARC-C, GSM8k, HellaSwag, HumanEval, MATH, MBPP, MMLU, Winogrande).

Qwen2 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

62.8B diff

Qwen2 72B Instruct has 62.8B more parameters than Gemma 2 9B, making it 679.2% larger.

Google
Gemma 2 9B
9.2Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 72B Instruct
72.0Bparameters
9.2B
Gemma 2 9B
72.0B
Qwen2 72B Instruct

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 2 9B is licensed under Gemma, while Qwen2 72B Instruct uses tongyi-qianwen.

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

Gemma 2 9B

Gemma

Open weights

Qwen2 72B Instruct

tongyi-qianwen

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 2 9B was released on 2024-06-27, while Qwen2 72B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.

Qwen2 72B Instruct is 1 month newer than Gemma 2 9B.

Gemma 2 9B

Jun 27, 2024

2.0 years ago

Qwen2 72B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

2.0 years ago

3w 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

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

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2 72B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher ARC-C score (68.9% vs 68.4%)
Higher GSM8k score (91.1% vs 68.6%)
Higher HellaSwag score (87.6% vs 81.9%)
Higher HumanEval score (86.0% vs 40.2%)
Higher MATH score (59.7% vs 36.6%)
Higher MBPP score (80.2% vs 52.4%)
Higher MMLU score (82.3% vs 71.3%)
Higher Winogrande score (85.1% vs 80.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 2 9B and Qwen2 72B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 2 9B
✓ Preferred
Qwen2 72B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 2 9B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 72B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 2 9B vs Qwen2 72B Instruct.

Which is better, Gemma 2 9B or Qwen2 72B Instruct?

Qwen2 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 2 9B is made by Google and Qwen2 72B Instruct is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 2 9B compare to Qwen2 72B Instruct in benchmarks?

Gemma 2 9B scores ARC-E: 88.0%, BoolQ: 84.2%, HellaSwag: 81.9%, PIQA: 81.7%, Winogrande: 80.6%. Qwen2 72B Instruct scores GSM8k: 91.1%, CMMLU: 90.1%, HellaSwag: 87.6%, HumanEval: 86.0%, Winogrande: 85.1%.

What are the main differences between Gemma 2 9B and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

Key differences include licensing (Gemma vs tongyi-qianwen). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 2 9B and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

Gemma 2 9B is developed by Google and Qwen2 72B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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