Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemma 3 27B

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 by Anthropic wins on 6 of 10 benchmarks against Gemma 3 27B by Google, which leads on 4. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.

Category-by-Category Breakdown

General Intelligence: In general intelligence, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 1380 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Gemma 3 27B's 1339, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 21.2 on AA Intelligence Index compared to Gemma 3 27B's 4.9.

Coding: In coding, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 52.1 on AA Coding Index compared to Gemma 3 27B's 10.1.

Reasoning: In reasoning, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 17.5 on AA Agentic Index compared to Gemma 3 27B's 0.1.

Context: In context, Claude Sonnet 4.5 scores 1.0M on Context Length compared to Gemma 3 27B's 131K.

Pricing Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input tokens and $15.0/1M output tokens, while Gemma 3 27B costs $0.08/1M input and $0.45/1M output. Gemma 3 27B is the more affordable option for API usage.

Speed Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4.5 generates output at 67 tok/s compared to Gemma 3 27B's 58 tok/s, and the time to first token is 1170 ms for Claude Sonnet 4.5 versus 390 ms for Gemma 3 27B. Claude Sonnet 4.5 delivers faster throughput.

Verdict

For developers prioritizing general intelligence and speed, Claude Sonnet 4.5 has the edge. For those who value affordability, Gemma 3 27B is the stronger choice.

Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemma 3 27B — FAQ

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 3 27B?

Claude Sonnet 4.5 wins on more benchmarks overall (6 vs 4). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.

How does Claude Sonnet 4.5 compare to Gemma 3 27B for coding?

SWE-bench Verified data is not available for both models. Check the detailed comparison charts above for other coding-related metrics.

Is Claude Sonnet 4.5 cheaper than Gemma 3 27B?

Yes, Gemma 3 27B is cheaper. Claude Sonnet 4.5 costs $3.0/1M input and $15.0/1M output tokens. Gemma 3 27B costs $0.08/1M input and $0.45/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, Claude Sonnet 4.5 or Gemma 3 27B?

Claude Sonnet 4.5 is faster, generating output at 67 tok/s compared to 58 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.

What benchmarks does the Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Gemma 3 27B comparison cover?

This comparison covers 10 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, Output Speed, Time to First Token, Input Cost, Output Cost, Context Length, AA Intelligence Index, AA Coding Index, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.