Pixtral 12B vs Gemma 3 1B

Compare Pixtral 12B and Gemma 3 1B: 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 Pixtral 12B Gemma 3 1B
CategoryVisionCompact
Parameters12B1B
Context Window128K32K
Input Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.003/1M tokens
Output Price$0.04/1M tokens$0.006/1M tokens
Latency~200ms~20ms

Choose Pixtral 12B when:

  • ✓ Simple image tasks
  • ✓ Classification
  • ✓ OCR
Key Strengths:

Low cost vision, Fast, Compact

Choose Gemma 3 1B when:

  • ✓ Edge inference
  • ✓ Classification
  • ✓ Routing
Key Strengths:

Tiny footprint, Fastest inference, Edge-ready

Verdict: Pixtral 12B vs Gemma 3 1B

For cost efficiency, Gemma 3 1B wins at $0.003/1M input tokens. For speed, Pixtral 12B is faster at ~200ms. Pixtral 12B excels at Simple image tasks while Gemma 3 1B is better for Edge inference. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Pixtral 12B costs $0.02/1M input tokens and $0.04/1M output tokens. Gemma 3 1B costs $0.003 input and $0.006 output. Gemma 3 1B is 6.7x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Pixtral 12B has a 128K context window with ~200ms latency. Gemma 3 1B offers 32K context at ~20ms. Pixtral 12B has the larger context window.

Best For

Pixtral 12B (Vision) is optimized for: Simple image tasks, Classification, OCR. Gemma 3 1B (Compact) works best for: Edge inference, Classification, Routing.

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

# Use Gemma 3 1B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gemma-3-1b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Pixtral 12B or Gemma 3 1B?

Pixtral 12B (Vision, 12B) offers Low cost vision. Gemma 3 1B (Compact, 1B) offers Tiny footprint. Choose Pixtral 12B for Simple image tasks or Gemma 3 1B for Edge inference.

How much does Pixtral 12B cost vs Gemma 3 1B?

Pixtral 12B: $0.02/1M input, $0.04/1M output. Gemma 3 1B: $0.003/1M input, $0.006/1M 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 Pixtral 12B and Gemma 3 1B 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.