utSIDE BY SIDE
gemma-3-12b-itvsgemma-3-4b-it
Two language models, with their source-backed specifications in one place.
Choose different models →4-bit weight storage
A shorter bar means less theoretical space for weights. Extra runtime memory is required.
Published context limit
A longer bar means more advertised context capacity, not better recall or higher intelligence.
What can we conclude?
gemma-3-4b-it has the smaller theoretical weight footprint, which leaves more of a fixed memory budget for other work. An overall quality or speed winner needs comparable benchmark evidence; that evidence is not connected here yet.
| What matters | gemma-3-12b-it ↗ | gemma-3-4b-it ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | ||
| Model type | Language | Language |
| Capabilities | Vision | Vision |
| Inputs → outputs | text, image → text | text, image → text |
| Access | Downloadable weights | Downloadable weights |
| Status | Available | Available |
| Parameters | 12BModel name (nominal size) | 4BModel name (nominal size) |
| 4-bit weights only | ≈ 6 GB | ≈ 2 GB |
| 8-bit weights only | ≈ 12 GB | ≈ 4 GB |
| 16-bit weights only | ≈ 24 GB | ≈ 8 GB |
| Published context | Not reported | Not reported |
| License | gemma ↗ | gemma ↗ |
| Access approval | Maker approval or terms required | Maker approval or terms required |
| Source listing date | Mar 1, 2025 | Feb 20, 2025 |
| Date meaning | Repository created; may precede public release | Repository created; may precede public release |
| Last checked | Sep 10, 2026 | Sep 10, 2026 |
| Cloud pricing | Not connected | Not connected |
| Comparable benchmark score | No verified result available | No verified result available |
| Tokens per second | No verified measurement available | No verified measurement available |
Check the evidence before choosing.
Estimates use total parameters × bits ÷ 8, in decimal GB. They exclude conversation cache, activations, runtime memory, and quantization overhead. A compatible quantized version is not guaranteed. Source listing dates are not verified release dates.
gemma-3-12b-it source ↗ · gemma-3-4b-it source ↗
Explore models by VRAM budget · Read the comparison methodology