API cost decision in 10 seconds

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct vs Gemma 3 12B

Pick Gemma 3 12B for lower cost; pick Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct 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 Gemma 3 12B for lower cost; pick Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 12B is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.64 for Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct, saving $0.54 (83.6% lower).

Cost-first pickGemma 3 12B
Context-first pickQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
Sample savings$0.5483.6%
10x traffic gap$5.35

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has more context, but Gemma 3 12B saves $0.54 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $5.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Gemma 3 12B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructGemma 3 12B
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGemma 3 12B$1$0.27
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGemma 3 12B$1.19$0.17
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGemma 3 12B$5.59$0.69
Cheaper input Gemma 3 12B $0.09 vs $0.04 / 1M

Gemma 3 12B is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (55.6% lower; 2.25x difference).

Cheaper output Gemma 3 12B $1.1 vs $0.13 / 1M

Gemma 3 12B is $0.97 cheaper per 1M output tokens (88.2% lower; 8.46x difference).

Larger context Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct 262.14K vs 131.07K

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has 131.07K more context (2x larger).

Sample workload Gemma 3 12B $0.64 vs $0.11

Gemma 3 12B is $0.54 cheaper on the standard workload (83.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemma 3 12B 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

Gemma 3 12B has the lower input price; Gemma 3 12B has the lower output price; Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemma 3 12B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.64 for Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct and $0.11 for Gemma 3 12B.

Best Fit

Choose Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Gemma 3 12B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 12B is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.64 for Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct, saving $0.54 (83.6% lower).
  • Gemma 3 12B is $0.54 cheaper on the standard workload (83.6% lower).
  • Gemma 3 12B is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (55.6% lower; 2.25x difference).
  • Gemma 3 12B is $0.97 cheaper per 1M output tokens (88.2% lower; 8.46x difference).
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureQwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
(Qwen)		Gemma 3 12B
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.09$0.04
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1.1$0.13
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.64$0.11
Context Window262.14K131.07K
Release Date
Popularity#79#123

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGemma 3 12BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 12B is estimated at $0.11 vs $0.64 for Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct, saving $0.54 (83.6% lower).
High-volume input processingGemma 3 12BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGemma 3 12BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
  • Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
Larger context near this budget

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

Qwen catalog

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

Open Qwen models

Google catalog

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

Open Google models
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Instruct is an instruction-tuned chat model in the Qwen3-Next series optimized for fast, stable responses without “thinking” traces. It targets complex tasks across reasoning, code generation, knowledge QA, and multilingual...

Gemma 3 12B

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,...