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Gemma 3 12B vs Mistral Large 2

Gemma 3 12B and Mistral Large 2 are closely matched at 5.6 and 7.4 on the LLM Stats Score. Gemma 3 12B is 40.0x cheaper per token.

Google · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Gemma 3 12B and Mistral Large 2 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 5.6 and 7.4.

The models split the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models evenly.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 40.0x 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.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Gemma 3 12B

  • cost matters — it's about 40.0x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025

Choose Mistral Large 2

  • you want predictable pricing at $2.00/M input and $6.00/M output

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemma 3 12B
Google
Mistral Large 2
Mistral AI
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
5.6
#295
7.4
#288
Reasoning
5.9
#289
7.3
#281
Coding
2.8
#222
13.0
#138
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
1 of 2
1 of 2
Input price
$0.05 / M
$2.00 / M
Output price
$0.15 / M
$6.00 / M
Context window
131,072
128,000

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

1 shared
Index
Gemma 3 12B
Mistral Large 2
Math
12.9#229
11.3#244
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

26 reported for Gemma 3 12B · 5 for Mistral Large 2

2 shared

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GSM8k), while Mistral Large 2 is better at 1 benchmark (HumanEval).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Mon Sep 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemma 3 12B costs less

For input processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.05/1M tokens) is 40.0x cheaper than Mistral Large 2 ($2.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.15/1M tokens) is 40.0x cheaper than Mistral Large 2 ($6.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Mistral Large 2 is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Sep 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.15
Best providerDeepinfra
Mistral AI
Mistral Large 2
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$6.00
Best providerGoogle
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

111.0B diff

Mistral Large 2 has 111.0B more parameters than Gemma 3 12B, making it 925.0% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
12.0Bparameters
Mistral AI
Mistral Large 2
123.0Bparameters
12.0B
Gemma 3 12B
123.0B
Mistral Large 2

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemma 3 12B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Mistral Large 2's 128,000 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Mistral Large 2 is limited to 128,000 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Large 2
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mon Sep 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Gemma 3 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Mistral Large 2 does not.

Gemma 3 12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemma 3 12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Large 2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while Mistral Large 2 uses Mistral Research License.

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

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Mistral Large 2

Mistral Research License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while Mistral Large 2 was released on 2024-07-24.

Gemma 3 12B is 8 months newer than Mistral Large 2.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.5 years ago

7mo newer
Mistral Large 2

Jul 24, 2024

2.2 years ago

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

Provider Availability

Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra. Mistral Large 2 is available from Google, Mistral AI.

Gemma 3 12B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M

Mistral Large 2

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M
mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 12B and Mistral Large 2 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3 12B
✓ Preferred
Mistral Large 2
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs Mistral Large 2.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or Mistral Large 2?

Gemma 3 12B and Mistral Large 2 are closely matched on the LLM Stats Score at 5.6 and 7.4. Gemma 3 12B is made by Google and Mistral Large 2 is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does Gemma 3 12B compare to Mistral Large 2 in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. Mistral Large 2 scores GSM8k: 93.0%, HumanEval: 92.0%, MT-Bench: 86.3%, MMLU: 84.0%, MMLU French: 82.8%.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than Mistral Large 2?

Gemma 3 12B is 40.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.15/M output via deepinfra. Mistral Large 2 costs $2.00/M input and $6.00/M output via google.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and Mistral Large 2?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K tokens and Mistral Large 2 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 3 12B and Mistral Large 2?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (5.6 vs 7.4), context window (131K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $2.00/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Gemma vs Mistral Research License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and Mistral Large 2?

Gemma 3 12B is developed by Google and Mistral Large 2 is developed by Mistral AI.

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