| Signal | Gemma 3 12B | Delta | MiniMax M3 |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 67 | -17 | |
Pricing | 100 | +1 | |
Context window size | 73 | -13 | |
Recency | 48 | -52 | |
Output Capacity | 70 | -25 | |
Benchmarks | 0 | -73 | |
| Overall Result | 1 wins | of 6 | 5 wins |
Score History
40
current score
MiniMax M3
right now
74.2
current score
MiniMax
Gemma 3 12B saves you $77.50/month
That's $930.00/year compared to MiniMax M3 at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | Gemma 3 12B | MiniMax M3 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40 | 74 | MiniMax M3 |
| Rank | #265 | #72 | MiniMax M3 |
| Quality Rank | #265 | #72 | MiniMax M3 |
| Adoption Rank | #265 | #72 | MiniMax M3 |
| Parameters | 12B | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 131K | 1049K | MiniMax M3 |
| Pricing | $0.05/$0.15/M | $0.30/$1.20/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 67 | 83 | MiniMax M3 |
| Pricing | 100 | 99 | Gemma 3 12B |
| Context window size | 73 | 86 | MiniMax M3 |
| Recency | 48 | 100 | MiniMax M3 |
| Output Capacity | 70 | 95 | MiniMax M3 |
| Benchmarks | -- | 73 | MiniMax M3 |
Our score (0-100) is driven by benchmark performance (90%) from Arena Elo ratings, MMLU, GPQA, HumanEval, SWE-bench, and 15+ standardized evaluations. Capabilities and context window serve as tiebreakers (10%). Learn more about our methodology.
Scores 40/100 (rank #265), placing it in the top 9% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 74/100 (rank #72), placing it in the top 76% of all 290 models tracked.
MiniMax M3 has a 34-point advantage, which typically translates to noticeably stronger performance on complex reasoning, code generation, and multi-step tasks.
Gemma 3 12B offers 87% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $3.00/month with Gemma 3 12B vs $22.50/month with MiniMax M3 - a $19.50 monthly difference.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Based on overall model capabilities and architecture for coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Suitable for user-facing chat with competitive response times. Gemma 3 12B also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (1049K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($0.15/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (74/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
Image understanding & OCR
Supports vision input - can analyze screenshots, diagrams, photos, and scanned documents directly
MiniMax M3 clearly outperforms Gemma 3 12B with a significant 34.2-point lead. For most general use cases, MiniMax M3 is the stronger choice. However, Gemma 3 12B may still excel in niche scenarios.
Best for Quality
Gemma 3 12B
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
Gemma 3 12B
87% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
Gemma 3 12B
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
Gemma 3 12B
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
Gemma 3 12B
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by Google
| Capability | Gemma 3 12B | MiniMax M3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoningdiffers | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
MiniMax
Gemma 3 12B saves you $1.71/month
That's 86% cheaper than MiniMax M3 at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | Gemma 3 12B | MiniMax M3 |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 131K | 1.0M |
| Max Output Tokens | 16,384 | 512,000 |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Created | Mar 13, 2025 | May 31, 2026 |