Model Comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3n E4B InstructedWhich is better in 2026?

Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 400.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3n E4B Instructed — which is better?

Gemma 3 12B (by Google) and Gemma 3n E4B Instructed (by Google) 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 3 12B outperforms in 8 benchmarks (Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, HiddenMath, HumanEval, LiveCodeBench, MBPP, MMLU-Pro, WMT24++), while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is better at 1 benchmark (ECLeKTic). Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 400.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemma 3 12B also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemma 3 12B if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 8 of 9 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 400.0x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Gemma 3n E4B Instructed if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

9 benchmarks

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 8 benchmarks (Global-MMLU-Lite, GPQA, HiddenMath, HumanEval, LiveCodeBench, MBPP, MMLU-Pro, WMT24++), while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is better at 1 benchmark (ECLeKTic).

Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens) is 400.0x cheaper than Gemma 3n E4B Instructed ($20.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 400.0x cheaper than Gemma 3n E4B Instructed ($40.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Input tokens$20.00
Output tokens$40.00
Best providerTogether
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Model Size

Parameter count comparison

4.0B diff

Gemma 3 12B has 4.0B more parameters than Gemma 3n E4B Instructed, making it 50.0% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
12.0Bparameters
Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
8.0Bparameters
12.0B
Gemma 3 12B
8.0B
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemma 3 12B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Gemma 3n E4B Instructed's 32,000 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is limited to 32,000 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Input32,000 tokens
Output32,000 tokens
Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemma 3 12B and Gemma 3n E4B Instructed support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed uses a proprietary license.

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

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed was released on 2025-06-26.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is 4 months newer than Gemma 3 12B.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.2 years ago

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Jun 26, 2025

11 months ago

3mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemma 3n E4B Instructed's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 3 12B's cutoff date.

Gemma 3 12B

—

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Jun 2024

Provider Availability

Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra. Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is available from Together.

Gemma 3 12B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $20.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $40.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher Global-MMLU-Lite score (69.5% vs 64.5%)
Higher GPQA score (40.9% vs 23.7%)
Higher HiddenMath score (54.5% vs 37.7%)
Higher HumanEval score (85.4% vs 75.0%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (24.6% vs 13.2%)
Higher MBPP score (73.0% vs 63.6%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (60.6% vs 50.6%)
Higher WMT24++ score (51.6% vs 50.1%)
Google
Higher ECLeKTic score (19.0% vs 10.3%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3n E4B Instructed.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or Gemma 3n E4B Instructed?

Gemma 3 12B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is made by Google and Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is made by Google. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 3 12B compare to Gemma 3n E4B Instructed in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. Gemma 3n E4B Instructed scores HumanEval: 75.0%, MGSM: 67.0%, MMLU: 64.9%, Global-MMLU-Lite: 64.5%, MBPP: 63.6%.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than Gemma 3n E4B Instructed?

Gemma 3 12B is 400.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. Gemma 3n E4B Instructed costs $20.00/M input and $40.00/M output via together.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and Gemma 3n E4B Instructed?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K tokens and Gemma 3n E4B Instructed supports 32K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemma 3 12B and Gemma 3n E4B Instructed?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 32K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $20.00/M), licensing (Gemma vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

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