DeepSeek V3 vs Gemma 4 E2B IT
DeepSeek V3 (2024) and Gemma 4 E2B IT (2026) are compact production models from DeepSeek and Google DeepMind. DeepSeek V3 ships a 64k-token context window, while Gemma 4 E2B IT ships a 128k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, DeepSeek V3 leads by 15.9 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Gemma 4 E2B IT is safer overall; choose DeepSeek V3 when provider fit matters.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-12-26 | 2026-03-31 |
| Context window | 64k | 128k |
| Parameters | 671B | 2B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | - |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3 | Gemma 4 E2B IT |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.3/1M tokens | - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3 | Gemma 4 E2B IT |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Gemma 4 E2B IT |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 75.9 | 60.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has DeepSeek V3 at 75.9 and Gemma 4 E2B IT at 60, with DeepSeek V3 ahead by 15.9 points. The largest visible gap is 15.9 points on MMLU PRO, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Gemma 4 E2B IT and tool use: DeepSeek V3. Both models share function calling and structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
Pricing coverage is uneven: DeepSeek V3 has $0.1/1M input tokens and Gemma 4 E2B IT has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 12 tracked routes versus 2. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose DeepSeek V3 when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Gemma 4 E2B IT when long-context analysis and larger context windows are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek V3 or Gemma 4 E2B IT?
Gemma 4 E2B IT supports 128k tokens, while DeepSeek V3 supports 64k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is DeepSeek V3 or Gemma 4 E2B IT open source?
DeepSeek V3 is listed under Open Source. Gemma 4 E2B IT is listed under Open Source. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for multimodal input, DeepSeek V3 or Gemma 4 E2B IT?
Gemma 4 E2B IT has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, DeepSeek V3 or Gemma 4 E2B IT?
Both DeepSeek V3 and Gemma 4 E2B IT expose function calling. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for tool use, DeepSeek V3 or Gemma 4 E2B IT?
DeepSeek V3 has the clearer documented tool use signal in this comparison. If tool use is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run DeepSeek V3 and Gemma 4 E2B IT?
DeepSeek V3 is available on DeepInfra, Fireworks AI, DeepSeek Platform, Microsoft Foundry, and OpenRouter. Gemma 4 E2B IT is available on Google AI Studio and GCP Vertex AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.