Gemma 3 12B Instruct vs Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B
Gemma 3 12B Instruct (2025) and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and Alibaba. Gemma 3 12B Instruct ships a 128K-token context window, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B ships a 33K-token context window. On pricing, Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.2/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B is ~100% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for Gemma 3 12B Instruct only for long-context analysis.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-01 | 2026-02-01 |
| Context window | 128K | 33K |
| Parameters | 12B | 9B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3 12B Instruct | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.2/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.2/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3 12B Instruct | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on function calling: Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B, tool use: Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B, and structured outputs: Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B. 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, Gemma 3 12B Instruct lists $0.2/1M input and $0.2/1M output tokens, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B lists $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B lower by about $0.08 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemma 3 12B Instruct when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Gemma 3 12B Instruct or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Gemma 3 12B Instruct supports 128K tokens, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B 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, Gemma 3 12B Instruct or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemma 3 12B Instruct costs $0.2/1M input and $0.2/1M output tokens. Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemma 3 12B Instruct or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B open source?
Gemma 3 12B Instruct is listed under Open Source. Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B 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 function calling, Gemma 3 12B Instruct or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for tool use, Gemma 3 12B Instruct or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B 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 Gemma 3 12B Instruct and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Gemma 3 12B Instruct is available on Fireworks AI. Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B is available on Together AI and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.