Gemma 3 12B vs Text Embedding 3 Small

Compare Gemma 3 12B and Text Embedding 3 Small: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Gemma 3 12B Text Embedding 3 Small
CategoryCompactEmbedding
Parameters12B~200M
Context Window128K8K
Input Price$0.015/1M tokens$0.0002/1M tokens
Output Price$0.03/1M tokensN/A/1M tokens
Latency~100ms~10ms

Choose Gemma 3 12B when:

  • ✓ Edge deployments
  • ✓ Classification
  • ✓ Simple chatbots
Key Strengths:

Very compact, Fast, Low cost

Choose Text Embedding 3 Small when:

  • ✓ Budget RAG
  • ✓ High-volume embedding
  • ✓ Simple search
Key Strengths:

Cheapest embedding, Very fast, Good quality for price

Verdict: Gemma 3 12B vs Text Embedding 3 Small

For cost efficiency, Text Embedding 3 Small wins at $0.0002/1M input tokens. For speed, Gemma 3 12B is faster at ~100ms. Gemma 3 12B excels at Edge deployments while Text Embedding 3 Small is better for Budget RAG. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Gemma 3 12B costs $0.015/1M input tokens and $0.03/1M output tokens. Text Embedding 3 Small costs $0.0002 input and N/A output. Text Embedding 3 Small is 75.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Gemma 3 12B has a 128K context window with ~100ms latency. Text Embedding 3 Small offers 8K context at ~10ms. Gemma 3 12B has the larger context window.

Best For

Gemma 3 12B (Compact) is optimized for: Edge deployments, Classification, Simple chatbots. Text Embedding 3 Small (Embedding) works best for: Budget RAG, High-volume embedding, Simple search.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Gemma 3 12B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gemma-3-12b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Text Embedding 3 Small
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="text-embedding-3-small",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Gemma 3 12B or Text Embedding 3 Small?

Gemma 3 12B (Compact, 12B) offers Very compact. Text Embedding 3 Small (Embedding, ~200M) offers Cheapest embedding. Choose Gemma 3 12B for Edge deployments or Text Embedding 3 Small for Budget RAG.

How much does Gemma 3 12B cost vs Text Embedding 3 Small?

Gemma 3 12B: $0.015/1M input, $0.03/1M output. Text Embedding 3 Small: $0.0002/1M input, N/A/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Gemma 3 12B and Text Embedding 3 Small by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.