Model Comparison

Gemma 3 12B vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is 7.8x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemma 3 12B vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct — which is better?

Gemma 3 12B (by Google) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-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 3 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro). Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Gemma 3 12B is roughly 7.8x 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…

  • cost matters — it's about 7.8x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window

Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Gemma 3 12B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro).

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sun Jun 07 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 3.0x cheaper than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3 12B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 15.0x cheaper than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct ($1.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is more expensive than Gemma 3 12B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

68.0B diff

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct has 68.0B more parameters than Gemma 3 12B, making it 566.7% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
12.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct
80.0Bparameters
12.0B
Gemma 3 12B
80.0B
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemma 3 12B accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct's 65,536 tokens. Gemma 3 12B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3 12B
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct
Input65,536 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 3 12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct 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

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 12B is licensed under Gemma, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

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

Gemma 3 12B

Gemma

Open weights

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 12B was released on 2025-03-12, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct was released on 2025-09-10.

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is 6 months newer than Gemma 3 12B.

Gemma 3 12B

Mar 12, 2025

1.2 years ago

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct

Sep 10, 2025

9 months ago

6mo 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

Provider Availability

Gemma 3 12B is available from DeepInfra. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is available from Novita.

Gemma 3 12B

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

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher IFEval score (88.9% vs 87.6%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Higher GPQA score (72.9% vs 40.9%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (80.6% vs 60.6%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3 12B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 12B vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct.

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct?

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Gemma 3 12B is made by Google and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-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 3 12B compare to Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 12B scores GSM8k: 94.4%, IFEval: 88.9%, DocVQA: 87.1%, BIG-Bench Hard: 85.7%, HumanEval: 85.4%. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct scores MMLU-Redux: 90.9%, MultiPL-E: 87.8%, IFEval: 87.6%, WritingBench: 87.3%, Creative Writing v3: 85.3%.

Is Gemma 3 12B cheaper than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct?

Gemma 3 12B is 3.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct costs $0.15/M input and $1.50/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3 12B and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct?

Gemma 3 12B supports 131K tokens and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct supports 66K 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 Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 66K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $0.15/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Gemma vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 12B and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct?

Gemma 3 12B is developed by Google and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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