Model Comparison
Gemma 3 4B vs Qwen2.5 72B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemma 3 4B is 14.5x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Gemma 3 4B vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct — which is better?
Gemma 3 4B (by Google) and Qwen2.5 72B 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 4B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is better at 7 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, LiveCodeBench, MATH, MBPP, MMLU-Pro). Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Gemma 3 4B is roughly 14.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Choose Gemma 3 4B if…
- cost matters — it's about 14.5x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
Choose Qwen2.5 72B Instruct if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 7 of 8 shared benchmarks
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemma 3 4B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is better at 7 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, LiveCodeBench, MATH, MBPP, MMLU-Pro).
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.02/1M tokens) is 17.5x cheaper than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct ($0.35/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemma 3 4B ($0.04/1M tokens) is 10.0x cheaper than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct ($0.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is more expensive than Gemma 3 4B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct has 68.7B more parameters than Gemma 3 4B, making it 1717.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 131,072 tokens. Gemma 3 4B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is limited to 8,192 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemma 3 4B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen2.5 72B Instruct does not.
Gemma 3 4B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 3 4B
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 3 4B is licensed under Gemma, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct uses Qwen.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Qwen
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 3 4B was released on 2025-03-12, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct was released on 2024-09-19.
Gemma 3 4B is 6 months newer than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.
Mar 12, 2025
1.3 years ago
5mo newerSep 19, 2024
1.8 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemma 3 4B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-08-01, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemma 3 4B's training data extends to 2024-08-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen2.5 72B Instruct's cutoff date.
Aug 2024
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Provider Availability
Gemma 3 4B is available from DeepInfra. Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.
Gemma 3 4B
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Gemma 3 4B
View details
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 3 4B vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.