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Gemma 3vsGemini 1.5 Pro

Google DeepMind vs Google DeepMind — Side-by-side model comparison

Gemma 3 leads 3/5 categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricGemma 3Gemini 1.5 Pro
Provider
Google DeepMind
Google DeepMind
Arena Rank
#19
#4
Context Window
128K
1M
Input Pricing
Free/1M tokens
$3.50/1M tokens
Output Pricing
Free/1M tokens
$10.50/1M tokens
Parameters
27B
Undisclosed
Open Source
Yes
No
Best For
Open source, on-device, research
Long documents, multimodal analysis, coding
Release Date
Mar 12, 2025
May 14, 2024

Gemma 3

Gemma 3, developed by Google DeepMind, is an open-source model family available in sizes from 1B to 27B parameters, built from research underlying the Gemini program. The model supports multimodal inputs including text and images, along with over 140 languages, making it one of the most versatile open-source models available. Gemma 3 achieves competitive performance with much larger models through efficient architecture design and training techniques developed for the Gemini model line. Its compact sizes enable deployment on consumer hardware from laptops to mobile devices, democratizing access to capable multimodal AI. Free and open-source under Google's permissive license, it supports commercial use and fine-tuning. The model represents Google's strategy of releasing capable open-source models derived from its proprietary Gemini research, building developer ecosystem engagement while maintaining the commercial advantage of its larger models.

Gemini 1.5 Pro

Gemini 1.5 Pro, developed by Google DeepMind, is a high-capability multimodal model with a 1 million token context window that can process entire books, codebases, or hours of video in a single request. The model uses a Mixture-of-Experts architecture to deliver strong performance on complex reasoning, coding, mathematical analysis, and multimodal understanding tasks. Its massive context window makes it uniquely suited for tasks involving large-scale document analysis, repository-wide code review, and comprehensive media processing. Priced at $3.50 per million input tokens and $10.50 per million output tokens, it offers substantial context capacity at competitive pricing. Gemini 1.5 Pro ranks #4 on the Chatbot Arena leaderboard, reflecting its position as one of the most capable models available for tasks requiring deep, contextual understanding.

Key Differences: Gemma 3 vs Gemini 1.5 Pro

1

Gemini 1.5 Pro ranks higher in arena benchmarks (#4) indicating stronger overall performance.

2

Gemini 1.5 Pro supports a larger context window (1M), allowing it to process longer documents in a single request.

3

Gemma 3 is open-source (free to self-host and fine-tune) while Gemini 1.5 Pro is proprietary (API-only access).

G

When to use Gemma 3

  • +Budget is a concern and you need cost efficiency
  • +You need to self-host or fine-tune the model
  • +Your use case involves open source, on-device, research
View full Gemma 3 specs →
G

When to use Gemini 1.5 Pro

  • +You need the highest quality output based on arena rankings
  • +Quality matters more than cost
  • +You need to process long documents (1M context)
  • +You prefer a managed API without infrastructure overhead
  • +Your use case involves long documents, multimodal analysis, coding
View full Gemini 1.5 Pro specs →

Cost Analysis

At current pricing, Gemma 3 is nullx more affordable than Gemini 1.5 Pro. For a typical enterprise workload processing 100M tokens per month:

Gemma 3 monthly cost

$0

100M tokens/mo (50/50 in/out)

Gemini 1.5 Pro monthly cost

$700

100M tokens/mo (50/50 in/out)

The Verdict

Gemma 3 wins our head-to-head comparison with 3 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for open source, on-device, research, though Gemini 1.5 Pro holds an edge in long documents, multimodal analysis, coding.

Last compared: April 2026 · Data sourced from public benchmarks and official pricing pages

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Gemma 3 or Gemini 1.5 Pro?
In our head-to-head comparison, Gemma 3 leads in 3 out of 5 categories (arena rank, context window, input pricing, output pricing, and parameters). Gemma 3 excels at open source, on-device, research, while Gemini 1.5 Pro is better suited for long documents, multimodal analysis, coding. The best choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and use case.
How does Gemma 3 pricing compare to Gemini 1.5 Pro?
Gemma 3 charges Free per 1M input tokens and Free per 1M output tokens. Gemini 1.5 Pro charges $3.50 per 1M input tokens and $10.50 per 1M output tokens. Gemma 3 is the more affordable option. For high-volume production workloads, the pricing difference can significantly impact total cost of ownership.
What is the context window difference between Gemma 3 and Gemini 1.5 Pro?
Gemma 3 supports a 128K token context window, while Gemini 1.5 Pro supports 1M tokens. Gemini 1.5 Pro can process longer documents, codebases, and conversations in a single request. Context window size matters most for tasks involving long documents, large codebases, or extended conversations.
Can I use Gemma 3 or Gemini 1.5 Pro for free?
Gemma 3 is available for free (open-source). Gemini 1.5 Pro is a paid API model starting at $3.50 per 1M input tokens. Open-source models can be self-hosted for free but require your own GPU infrastructure.
Which model has better benchmarks, Gemma 3 or Gemini 1.5 Pro?
Gemma 3 holds arena rank #19, while Gemini 1.5 Pro holds rank #4. Gemini 1.5 Pro performs better in overall arena benchmarks, which aggregate human preference ratings across coding, reasoning, and general tasks. Note that benchmarks don't capture every use case — we recommend testing both models on your specific tasks.
Is Gemma 3 or Gemini 1.5 Pro better for coding?
Gemma 3's primary strength is open source, on-device, research. Gemini 1.5 Pro is specifically optimized for coding tasks. For coding specifically, arena rank and code-specific benchmarks are the best indicators of performance.