Gemma 3 vs Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B
Gemma 3 (2025) and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and Alibaba. Gemma 3 ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B ships a 33K-token context window. On pricing, Gemma 3 costs $0.04/1M input tokens versus $0.1/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Gemma 3 is ~150% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B only for provider fit.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-03-12 | 2026-02-01 |
| Context window | — | 33K |
| Parameters | — | 9B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3 | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.04/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3 | Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | 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 and tool use: Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B. Both models share 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.
For cost, Gemma 3 lists $0.04/1M input and $0.08/1M 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 Gemma 3 lower by about $0.06 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemma 3 when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B when provider fit 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 is cheaper, Gemma 3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Gemma 3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemma 3 costs $0.04/1M input and $0.08/1M 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 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B open source?
Gemma 3 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 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 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.
Which is better for structured outputs, Gemma 3 or Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Both Gemma 3 and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Gemma 3 and Together AI - Qwen3.5-9B?
Gemma 3 is available on OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, and GCP Vertex 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.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.