Gemma 3 1B vs Pixtral-12B
Pixtral-12B leads the LLM Stats Score -1.6 to -10.5.
Google · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Pixtral-12B leads the overall LLM Stats Score -1.6 to -10.5, ranking #336 overall.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Pixtral-12B wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemma 3 1B
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
Choose Pixtral-12B
- overall performance matters — it scores -1.6 and ranks #336 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
18 reported for Gemma 3 1B · 12 for Pixtral-12B
Gemma 3 1B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while Pixtral-12B is better at 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, MATH).
Pixtral-12B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Pixtral-12B has 11.4B more parameters than Gemma 3 1B, making it 1140.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Pixtral-12B specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Pixtral-12B specifies output context (8,192 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Pixtral-12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemma 3 1B does not.
Pixtral-12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 3 1B
Pixtral-12B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3 1B is licensed under Gemma, while Pixtral-12B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3 1B was released on 2025-03-12, while Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17.
Gemma 3 1B is 6 months newer than Pixtral-12B.
Mar 12, 2025
1.5 years ago
5mo newerSep 17, 2024
2.0 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 1B and Pixtral-12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3 1B vs Pixtral-12B.