Gemma 3 12B vs Sarvam 30B
Gemma 3 12B (2026) and Sarvam 30B (2026) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and Sarvam.ai. Gemma 3 12B ships a 33k-token context window, while Sarvam 30B ships a 66k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Sarvam 30B is safer overall; choose Gemma 3 12B when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3 12B | Sarvam 30B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Classification and JSON / Tool use | Agents and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 33k | 66k |
| Cheapest output | $0.13/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 5 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- 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.
- Sarvam 30B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Sarvam 30B uniquely exposes Function calling and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Sarvam 30B for Agents and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemma 3 12B
$64.50
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Sarvam 30B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 3 12B and Sarvam 30B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Sarvam 30B adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Sarvam 30B and Gemma 3 12B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Gemma 3 12B adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-01-01 | 2026-03-22 |
| Context window | 33k | 66k |
| Parameters | 12B | 30B (2.4B active) |
| Architecture | decoder only | moe |
| License | Gemma | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2025-06 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3 12B | Sarvam 30B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.04/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.13/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3 12B | Sarvam 30B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| 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 function calling: Sarvam 30B, tool use: Sarvam 30B, and 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Gemma 3 12B has $0.04/1M input tokens and Sarvam 30B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 5 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemma 3 12B when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Sarvam 30B 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. 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, Gemma 3 12B or Sarvam 30B?
Sarvam 30B supports 66k 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.
Is Gemma 3 12B or Sarvam 30B open source?
Gemma 3 12B is listed under Gemma. Sarvam 30B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 or Sarvam 30B?
Sarvam 30B 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 or Sarvam 30B?
Sarvam 30B 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.
Which is better for structured outputs, Gemma 3 12B or Sarvam 30B?
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 Gemma 3 12B and Sarvam 30B?
Gemma 3 12B is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, GCP Vertex AI, and Novita AI. Sarvam 30B is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.