Gemma 3 27B vs Nova Lite
Gemma 3 27B and Nova Lite are closely matched at 8.3 and 7.6 on the LLM Stats Score. Gemma 3 27B is 1.0x cheaper per token.
Google · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 3 27B and Nova Lite are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 8.3 and 7.6.
In the 8 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemma 3 27B wins 5; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Nova Lite also accepts a larger context window (300,000 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 27B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 5 of 8 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Nova Lite
- you process long inputs — it offers a 300,000 token context window
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
27 reported for Gemma 3 27B · 27 for Nova Lite
Gemma 3 27B outperforms in 5 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, IFEval, MATH), while Nova Lite is better at 3 benchmarks (ChartQA, DocVQA, TextVQA).
Gemma 3 27B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemma 3 27B ($0.08/1M tokens) is 1.3x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 3 27B ($0.16/1M tokens) is 1.5x cheaper than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Nova Lite is more expensive than Gemma 3 27B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Nova Lite accepts 300,000 input tokens compared to Gemma 3 27B's 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 27B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Gemma 3 27B and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemma 3 27B
Nova Lite
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3 27B is licensed under Gemma, while Nova Lite uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3 27B was released on 2025-03-12, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.
Gemma 3 27B is 4 months newer than Nova Lite.
Mar 12, 2025
1.5 years ago
3mo newerNov 20, 2024
1.8 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Gemma 3 27B is available from DeepInfra, Novita. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock.
Gemma 3 27B
Nova Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 3 27B and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3 27B vs Nova Lite.