Gemma 3n 2B (free) vs Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct
Gemma 3n 2B (free) (2025) and Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct (2025) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and Microsoft Research. Gemma 3n 2B (free) ships a 8K-token context window, while Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct ships a 128K-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct fits 16x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Gemma 3n 2B (free) for tighter calls.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-03 | 2025-01-01 |
| Context window | 8K | 128K |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $0.9/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $0.9/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct and multimodal input: Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct. 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 3n 2B (free) has no token price sourced yet and Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct has $0.9/1M input tokens. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 2. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemma 3n 2B (free) when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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, Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct?
Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct supports 128K tokens, while Gemma 3n 2B (free) supports 8K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct open source?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) is listed under Open Source. Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct 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 vision, Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct?
Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct?
Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct 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.
Where can I run Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) is available on NVIDIA NIM. Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct is available on Fireworks AI and NVIDIA NIM. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Gemma 3n 2B (free) over Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct?
Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct fits 16x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Gemma 3n 2B (free) for tighter calls. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Gemma 3n 2B (free); if it depends on long-context analysis, run the same evaluation with Phi 4 Multimodal Instruct.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-01. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.