Model Comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

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

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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 Apr 09 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 Apr 09 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 Apr 09 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

1.1 years ago

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Jun 26, 2025

9 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

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.
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%.
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.
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.
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.