Gemma 3n vs Gemma 4
Gemma 3n is the smaller device-first branch; Gemma 4 is the newer flagship family with Apache-2.0 licensing and larger top-end capability.
This comparison covers pricing, capabilities, and the best-fit use cases for each tool — so you can shortlist faster.
At a glance
Gemma 3n
Device-first Gemma branch with multimodal support, long context, and efficient E2B/E4B variants.
Gemma 3n is Google’s on-device-optimized Gemma branch aimed at multimodal apps that need a better quality-to-footprint ratio than traditional dense models. It is the more mobile and edge-oriented choice in the current Gemma family, positioned between Gemma 3 and the newer Gemma 4 branch.
Gemma 4
Newest Gemma family with Apache-2.0 licensing, multimodal input, 256K context, and sparse on-device variants.
Gemma 4 is now the leading branch in Google's open Gemma family. It shifts the line to Apache-2.0 licensing, adds multimodal audio and vision support, and uses sparse on-device-friendly variants that make it more attractive than earlier Gemma branches for new local assistant builds.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Gemma 3n | Gemma 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Price range | Free (open weights) | Free (open weights) |
| API cost | No required vendor API cost for local/self-hosted use. | No required vendor API cost for local/self-hosted use. |
| Subscription cost | No mandatory subscription for base model access. | No mandatory subscription for base model access. |
| Pros | • Designed specifically for on-device deployment efficiency • Handles text, image, audio, and video inputs in one family • Long context and function calling are useful for app-style assistants • Better fit than larger families for mobile or edge experiments | • Apache-2.0 licensing is simpler for commercial use than earlier Gemma branches • 256K context is strong for larger document and app workflows • One family handles audio, image, video, and text inputs • Sparse architecture improves the quality-to-runtime tradeoff |
| Cons | • Gemma terms are still less permissive than Apache/MIT model releases • Smaller ceiling than Gemma 4 or very large workstation-class VLMs • Local runtime support can lag right after new releases | • 31B still needs serious local hardware compared with smaller VLM options • Fresh releases can have uneven runtime support at first • Multimodal QA is still necessary for production-critical outputs |
| Best for | • Multimodal local assistant workflows • Privacy-sensitive visual assistant tasks • Builders experimenting with vision-language tasks | • Multimodal local assistant workflows • Multimodal document understanding • Builders experimenting with vision-language tasks |
Key difference
Gemma 3n's perspective: Gemma 3n is the smaller device-first branch; Gemma 4 is the newer flagship family with Apache-2.0 licensing and larger top-end capability.
Gemma 4's perspective: Gemma 4 is the higher-capability flagship branch with Apache-2.0 licensing; Gemma 3n is the smaller device-first branch optimized for tighter hardware.
When to pick each
Pick Gemma 3n when
- Multimodal local assistant workflows
- Privacy-sensitive visual assistant tasks
- Builders experimenting with vision-language tasks
Pick Gemma 4 when
- Multimodal local assistant workflows
- Multimodal document understanding
- Builders experimenting with vision-language tasks