Doubao Pro 256K vs Gemma 3 12B
Doubao Pro 256K (2024) and Gemma 3 12B (2026) are compact production models from ByteDance and Google DeepMind. Doubao Pro 256K ships a 256k-token context window, while Gemma 3 12B ships a 33k-token context window. On pricing, Gemma 3 12B costs $0.04/1M input tokens versus $0.73/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemma 3 12B is ~1738% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Doubao Pro 256K only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Doubao Pro 256K | Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Long context | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 256k | 33k |
| Cheapest output | $1.32/1M tokens | $0.13/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Doubao Pro 256K has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Doubao Pro 256K for Long context.
- Gemma 3 12B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.13/1M tokens.
- Gemma 3 12B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Gemma 3 12B uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 3 12B for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Doubao Pro 256K
$919
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Volcengine
Gemma 3 12B
$64.50
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $855. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Doubao Pro 256K and Gemma 3 12B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemma 3 12B is $1.19/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Gemma 3 12B adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 3 12B and Doubao Pro 256K; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Doubao Pro 256K is $1.19/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-05-15 | 2026-01-01 |
| Context window | 256k | 33k |
| Parameters | — | 12B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Gemma |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2024-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Doubao Pro 256K | Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.73/1M tokens | $0.04/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.32/1M tokens | $0.13/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Doubao Pro 256K | Gemma 3 12B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on structured outputs: Gemma 3 12B. Both models share the core language-model surface, 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.
For cost, Doubao Pro 256K lists $0.73/1M input and $1.32/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Gemma 3 12B lists $0.04/1M input and $0.13/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemma 3 12B lower by about $0.84 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Doubao Pro 256K when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Gemma 3 12B when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Doubao Pro 256K or Gemma 3 12B?
Doubao Pro 256K supports 256k tokens, while Gemma 3 12B supports 33k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Doubao Pro 256K or Gemma 3 12B?
Gemma 3 12B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Doubao Pro 256K costs $0.73/1M input and $1.32/1M output tokens. Gemma 3 12B costs $0.04/1M input and $0.13/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Doubao Pro 256K or Gemma 3 12B open source?
Doubao Pro 256K is listed under Proprietary. Gemma 3 12B is listed under Gemma. 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 structured outputs, Doubao Pro 256K or Gemma 3 12B?
Gemma 3 12B has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Doubao Pro 256K and Gemma 3 12B?
Doubao Pro 256K is available on Volcengine. Gemma 3 12B is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, GCP Vertex AI, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Doubao Pro 256K over Gemma 3 12B?
Gemma 3 12B is ~1738% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Doubao Pro 256K only for long-context analysis. If your workload also depends on long-context analysis, start with Doubao Pro 256K; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Gemma 3 12B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.