API cost decision in 10 seconds

Gemma 3 27B vs Qwen3 8B

Pick Gemma 3 27B when budget is the priority.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T19:08:13Z 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 $0.25 for Qwen3 8B, saving $0.09 (36% lower).

Cost-first pickGemma 3 27B

Context-first pickBoth models

Sample savings$0.0936%

10x traffic gap$0.9

The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Qwen3 8B, balanced workload favors Gemma 3 27B, and output-heavy chatbot favors Gemma 3 27B.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Gemma 3 27B	Qwen3 8B
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Qwen3 8B	$0.48	$0.45
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Gemma 3 27B	$0.24	$0.45
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Gemma 3 27B	$0.88	$2.05

Cheaper input Qwen3 8B $0.08 vs $0.05 / 1M

Qwen3 8B is $0.03 cheaper per 1M input tokens (37.5% lower; 1.6x difference).

Cheaper output Gemma 3 27B $0.16 vs $0.4 / 1M

Gemma 3 27B is $0.24 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).

Larger context Tie 131.07K vs 131.07K

Both models report the same context window at 131.07K tokens.

Sample workload Gemma 3 27B $0.16 vs $0.25

Gemma 3 27B is $0.09 cheaper on the standard workload (36% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Gemma 3 27B Calculating… Estimated API cost

Qwen3 8B Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

Qwen3 8B 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 $0.25 for Qwen3 8B.

Best Fit

Choose Gemma 3 27B when you care most about lower output-token price.

Choose Qwen3 8B when you care most about lower input-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 27B is estimated at $0.16 vs $0.25 for Qwen3 8B, saving $0.09 (36% lower).
Gemma 3 27B is $0.09 cheaper on the standard workload (36% lower).
Qwen3 8B is $0.03 cheaper per 1M input tokens (37.5% lower; 1.6x difference).
Gemma 3 27B is $0.24 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
Both models report the same context window at 131.07K tokens.

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Gemma 3 27B (Google)	Qwen3 8B (Qwen)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.08	$0.05
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.16	$0.4
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.16	$0.25
Context Window	131.07K	131.07K
Release Date	2025-03-12	2025-04-28
Popularity	#86	#102

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 $0.25 for Qwen3 8B, saving $0.09 (36% lower).
High-volume input processing	Qwen3 8B	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

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

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.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 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.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite offers 1.05M context with $0.3 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

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 models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Google catalog

Review all tracked Google models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open Google models

Qwen catalog

Check other Qwen models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Qwen models

Gemma 3 27B

Gemma 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,...

Qwen3 8B

Qwen3-8B is a dense 8.2B parameter causal language model from the Qwen3 series, designed for both reasoning-heavy tasks and efficient dialogue. It supports seamless switching between "thinking" mode for math,...