Gemma 3 4B vs BGE Reranker v2

Compare Gemma 3 4B and BGE Reranker v2: 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 4B BGE Reranker v2
CategoryCompactReranking
Parameters4B568M
Context Window128K8K
Input Price$0.008/1M tokens$0.003/1M tokens
Output Price$0.015/1M tokensN/A/1M tokens
Latency~60ms~30ms

Choose Gemma 3 4B when:

  • ✓ Intent detection
  • ✓ Keyword extraction
  • ✓ Preprocessing
Key Strengths:

Ultra-small, Fastest inference, Minimal cost

Choose BGE Reranker v2 when:

  • ✓ RAG reranking
  • ✓ Search improvement
  • ✓ Citation accuracy
Key Strengths:

High precision, Cross-encoder, Improves RAG quality

Verdict: Gemma 3 4B vs BGE Reranker v2

For cost efficiency, BGE Reranker v2 wins at $0.003/1M input tokens. For speed, BGE Reranker v2 is faster at ~30ms. Gemma 3 4B excels at Intent detection while BGE Reranker v2 is better for RAG reranking. 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 4B costs $0.008/1M input tokens and $0.015/1M output tokens. BGE Reranker v2 costs $0.003 input and N/A output. BGE Reranker v2 is 2.7x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Gemma 3 4B has a 128K context window with ~60ms latency. BGE Reranker v2 offers 8K context at ~30ms. Gemma 3 4B has the larger context window.

Best For

Gemma 3 4B (Compact) is optimized for: Intent detection, Keyword extraction, Preprocessing. BGE Reranker v2 (Reranking) works best for: RAG reranking, Search improvement, Citation accuracy.

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 4B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gemma-3-4b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use BGE Reranker v2
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="bge-reranker-v2",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Gemma 3 4B or BGE Reranker v2?

Gemma 3 4B (Compact, 4B) offers Ultra-small. BGE Reranker v2 (Reranking, 568M) offers High precision. Choose Gemma 3 4B for Intent detection or BGE Reranker v2 for RAG reranking.

How much does Gemma 3 4B cost vs BGE Reranker v2?

Gemma 3 4B: $0.008/1M input, $0.015/1M output. BGE Reranker v2: $0.003/1M 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 4B and BGE Reranker v2 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.