Model Comparison

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed vs Llama 3.1 8B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 833.3x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemma 3n E4B Instructed vs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct — which is better?

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed (by Google) and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (by Meta) 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 3n E4B Instructed outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, MMLU-Pro), while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

On price, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is roughly 833.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemma 3n E4B Instructed if…

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

Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 833.3x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, MMLU-Pro), while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Tue Jun 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct costs less

For input processing, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed ($20.00/1M tokens) is 666.7x more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed ($40.00/1M tokens) is 1333.3x more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jun 16 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Input tokens$20.00
Output tokens$40.00
Best providerTogether
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Input tokens$0.03
Output tokens$0.03
Best providerLambda
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

0.0M diff

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has 0.0B more parameters than Gemma 3n E4B Instructed, making it 0.0% larger.

Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
8.0Bparameters
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
8.0Bparameters
8.0B
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
8.0B
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Gemma 3n E4B Instructed's 32,000 tokens. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is limited to 32,000 tokens.

Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Input32,000 tokens
Output32,000 tokens
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Tue Jun 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.1 8B Instruct does not.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct uses Llama 3.1 Community License.

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

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Proprietary

Closed source

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Llama 3.1 Community License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed was released on 2025-06-26, while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is 11 months newer than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Jun 26, 2025

11 months ago

11mo newer
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

1.9 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has a cutoff of 2023-12-31.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed has more recent training data (up to 2024-06-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (2023-12-31).

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

Jun 2024

6 mo newer
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Dec 2023

Provider Availability

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is available from Together. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is available from Lambda, DeepInfra, Groq, Sambanova, Cerebras, Hyperbolic, Together, Fireworks, Bedrock.

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed

together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $20.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $40.00/1M

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

lambda logo
Lambda
Input Price:Input: $0.03/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.03/1M
deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.05/1M
groq logo
Groq
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.08/1M
sambanova logo
Sambanova
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
cerebras logo
Cerebras
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
hyperbolic logo
Hyperbolic
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $0.22/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.22/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher HumanEval score (75.0% vs 72.6%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (50.6% vs 48.3%)
Meta
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (30.4% vs 23.7%)
Higher MMLU score (69.4% vs 64.9%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3n E4B Instructed
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Gemma 3n E4B Instructed vs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.

Which is better, Gemma 3n E4B Instructed or Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is made by Google and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is made by Meta. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemma 3n E4B Instructed compare to Llama 3.1 8B Instruct in benchmarks?

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed scores HumanEval: 75.0%, MGSM: 67.0%, MMLU: 64.9%, Global-MMLU-Lite: 64.5%, MBPP: 63.6%. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct scores GSM-8K (CoT): 84.5%, ARC-C: 83.4%, API-Bank: 82.6%, IFEval: 80.4%, BFCL: 76.1%.

Is Gemma 3n E4B Instructed cheaper than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 666.7x cheaper for input tokens. Gemma 3n E4B Instructed costs $20.00/M input and $40.00/M output via together. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct costs $0.03/M input and $0.03/M output via lambda.

What are the context window sizes for Gemma 3n E4B Instructed and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed supports 32K tokens and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemma 3n E4B Instructed and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (32K vs 131K), input pricing ($20.00 vs $0.03/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Llama 3.1 Community License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemma 3n E4B Instructed and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Gemma 3n E4B Instructed is developed by Google and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is developed by Meta.

Related comparisons