Model Comparison

Gemma 3 1B vs Qwen2 7B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen2 7B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Gemma 3 1B vs Qwen2 7B Instruct — which is better?

Gemma 3 1B (by Google) and Qwen2 7B 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 1B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2 7B Instruct is better at 7 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, LiveCodeBench, MATH, MBPP, MMLU-Pro). Qwen2 7B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Gemma 3 1B if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025

Choose Qwen2 7B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 7 of 7 shared benchmarks
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

7 benchmarks

Gemma 3 1B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2 7B Instruct is better at 7 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, LiveCodeBench, MATH, MBPP, MMLU-Pro).

Qwen2 7B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jun 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

6.6B diff

Qwen2 7B Instruct has 6.6B more parameters than Gemma 3 1B, making it 662.0% larger.

Google
Gemma 3 1B
1.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 7B Instruct
7.6Bparameters
1.0B
Gemma 3 1B
7.6B
Qwen2 7B Instruct

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3 1B is licensed under Gemma, while Qwen2 7B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

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

Gemma 3 1B

Gemma

Open weights

Qwen2 7B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3 1B was released on 2025-03-12, while Qwen2 7B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.

Gemma 3 1B is 8 months newer than Qwen2 7B Instruct.

Gemma 3 1B

Mar 12, 2025

1.2 years ago

7mo newer
Qwen2 7B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

1.9 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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2 7B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher GPQA score (25.3% vs 19.2%)
Higher GSM8k score (82.3% vs 62.8%)
Higher HumanEval score (79.9% vs 41.5%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (26.6% vs 1.9%)
Higher MATH score (49.6% vs 48.0%)
Higher MBPP score (67.2% vs 35.2%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (44.1% vs 14.7%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3 1B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 7B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3 1B vs Qwen2 7B Instruct.

Which is better, Gemma 3 1B or Qwen2 7B Instruct?

Qwen2 7B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 1B is made by Google and Qwen2 7B 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 1B compare to Qwen2 7B Instruct in benchmarks?

Gemma 3 1B scores IFEval: 80.2%, GSM8k: 62.8%, Natural2Code: 56.0%, MATH: 48.0%, HumanEval: 41.5%. Qwen2 7B Instruct scores MT-Bench: 84.1%, GSM8k: 82.3%, HumanEval: 79.9%, C-Eval: 77.2%, AlignBench: 72.1%.

What are the main differences between Gemma 3 1B and Qwen2 7B Instruct?

Key differences include licensing (Gemma vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3 1B and Qwen2 7B Instruct?

Gemma 3 1B is developed by Google and Qwen2 7B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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