Gemma 3 27B is $0.42 cheaper per 1M input tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Gemma 3 27B vs Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview)
Pick Gemma 3 27B when budget is the priority.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Gemma 3 27B when budget is the priority.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 27B is estimated at $0.16 vs $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), saving $1.84 (92% lower).
Cost-first pickGemma 3 27B
Context-first pickBoth models
Sample savings$1.8492%
10x traffic gap$18.4
The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $18.4. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Gemma 3 27B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemma 3 27B | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Gemma 3 27B | $0.48 | $4 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Gemma 3 27B | $0.24 | $3.5 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Gemma 3 27B | $0.88 | $15.5 |
Gemma 3 27B is $2.84 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.7% lower; 18.8x difference).
Both models report the same context window at 131.07K tokens.
Gemma 3 27B is $1.84 cheaper on the standard workload (92% 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
Gemma 3 27B has the lower input price; Gemma 3 27B has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemma 3 27B 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 $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview).
Choose Gemma 3 27B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 27B is estimated at $0.16 vs $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), saving $1.84 (92% lower).
- Gemma 3 27B is $1.84 cheaper on the standard workload (92% lower).
- Gemma 3 27B is $0.42 cheaper per 1M input tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).
- Gemma 3 27B is $2.84 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.7% lower; 18.8x difference).
- Both models report the same context window at 131.07K tokens.
| Feature | Gemma 3 27B (Google) | Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview) (Google) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.08 | $0.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.16 | $3 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.16 | $2 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 131.07K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #86 | #129 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Gemma 3 27B | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 27B is estimated at $0.16 vs $2 for Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image Preview), saving $1.84 (92% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Gemma 3 27B | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Gemma 3 27B | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Tie | 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.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- 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 · 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 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,...
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