Gemma 3n 4B (free) vs ShieldGemma 9B
Gemma 3n 4B (free) (2025) and ShieldGemma 9B (2024) are compact production models from Google DeepMind. Gemma 3n 4B (free) ships a 8K-token context window, while ShieldGemma 9B ships a 8K-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. The goal is to make the tradeoff clear before deeper testing.
Gemma 3n 4B (free) is safer overall; choose ShieldGemma 9B when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3n 4B (free) | ShieldGemma 9B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Classification and JSON / Tool use | Classification |
| Context window | 8K | 8K |
| Cheapest output | $0.04/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemma 3n 4B (free) has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Gemma 3n 4B (free) uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 3n 4B (free) for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
- Local decision data tags ShieldGemma 9B for Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Gemma 3n 4B (free)
$26.00
Cheapest tracked route: Together AI
ShieldGemma 9B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on NVIDIA NIM; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on NVIDIA NIM; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Gemma 3n 4B (free) adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-03 | 2024-07-01 |
| Context window | 8K | 8K |
| Parameters | — | 9B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | 1 |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3n 4B (free) | ShieldGemma 9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.02/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.04/1M tokens | - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3n 4B (free) | ShieldGemma 9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on structured outputs: Gemma 3n 4B (free). 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 4B (free) has $0.02/1M input tokens and ShieldGemma 9B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 3 tracked routes versus 1. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemma 3n 4B (free) when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose ShieldGemma 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. For teams standardizing a stack, that distinction is often the difference between a benchmark win and a reliable deployment.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Gemma 3n 4B (free) or ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemma 3n 4B (free) supports 8K tokens, while ShieldGemma 9B 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 4B (free) or ShieldGemma 9B open source?
Gemma 3n 4B (free) is listed under Open Source. ShieldGemma 9B is listed under 1. 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, Gemma 3n 4B (free) or ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemma 3n 4B (free) 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 3n 4B (free) and ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemma 3n 4B (free) is available on NVIDIA NIM, Together AI, and OpenRouter. ShieldGemma 9B is available on NVIDIA NIM. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Gemma 3n 4B (free) over ShieldGemma 9B?
Gemma 3n 4B (free) is safer overall; choose ShieldGemma 9B when provider fit matters. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Gemma 3n 4B (free); if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with ShieldGemma 9B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.