Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.04 cheaper per 1M input tokens (56.2% lower; 2.29x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Gemma 3 27B vs Nova Micro 1.0
Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick Gemma 3 27B only if the larger context window matters more.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick Gemma 3 27B only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.16 for Gemma 3 27B, saving $0.05 (34.4% lower).
Cost-first pickNova Micro 1.0
Context-first pickGemma 3 27B
Sample savings$0.0534.4%
10x traffic gap$0.55
Gemma 3 27B has more context, but Nova Micro 1.0 saves $0.05 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.55. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Nova Micro 1.0 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemma 3 27B | Nova Micro 1.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nova Micro 1.0 | $0.48 | $0.25 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Nova Micro 1.0 | $0.24 | $0.18 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Nova Micro 1.0 | $0.88 | $0.74 |
Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.02 cheaper per 1M output tokens (12.5% lower; 1.14x difference).
Gemma 3 27B has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.05 cheaper on the standard workload (34.4% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower input price; Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower output price; Gemma 3 27B offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nova Micro 1.0 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.16 for Gemma 3 27B and $0.11 for Nova Micro 1.0.
Choose Gemma 3 27B when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Nova Micro 1.0 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.16 for Gemma 3 27B, saving $0.05 (34.4% lower).
- Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.05 cheaper on the standard workload (34.4% lower).
- Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.04 cheaper per 1M input tokens (56.2% lower; 2.29x difference).
- Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.02 cheaper per 1M output tokens (12.5% lower; 1.14x difference).
- Gemma 3 27B has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).
| Feature | Gemma 3 27B (Google) | Nova Micro 1.0 (Amazon) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.08 | $0.035 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.16 | $0.14 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.16 | $0.11 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 128K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #86 | #146 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nova Micro 1.0 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.16 for Gemma 3 27B, saving $0.05 (34.4% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nova Micro 1.0 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Nova Micro 1.0 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemma 3 27B | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemma 3 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemma 3 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemma 3 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemma 3 27B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsGoogle catalog
Review all tracked Google models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Google modelsAmazon catalog
Check other Amazon models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Amazon modelsGemma 3 introduces multimodality, supporting vision-language input and text outputs. It handles context windows up to 128k tokens, understands over 140 languages, and offers improved math, reasoning, and chat capabilities,...
Amazon Nova Micro 1.0 is a text-only model that delivers the lowest latency responses in the Amazon Nova family of models at a very low cost. With a context length...