Model Comparison

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

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

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

Gemma 3n E4B (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 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (DROP), while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (ARC-C). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Choose Gemma 3n E4B if…

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

Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Gemma 3n E4B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (DROP), while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (ARC-C).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

0.0M diff

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

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

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Llama 3.1 8B Instruct specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Llama 3.1 8B Instruct specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

Google
Gemma 3n E4B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

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

Gemma 3n E4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemma 3n E4B 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

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 was released on 2025-06-26, while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.

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

Gemma 3n E4B

Jun 26, 2025

1.1 years ago

11mo newer
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

2.0 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

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

Gemma 3n E4B 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

Jun 2024

6 mo newer
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Dec 2023

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher DROP score (60.8% vs 59.5%)
Meta
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher ARC-C score (83.4% vs 61.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemma 3n E4B and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemma 3n E4B
✓ Preferred
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemma 3n E4B
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

FAQ

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

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

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Gemma 3n E4B 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 compare to Llama 3.1 8B Instruct in benchmarks?

Gemma 3n E4B scores ARC-E: 81.6%, BoolQ: 81.6%, PIQA: 81.0%, HellaSwag: 78.6%, Winogrande: 71.7%. 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%.

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

Gemma 3n E4B supports an unknown number of 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 and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

Key differences include 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 and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct?

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

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