AI model comparison
gpt-oss-20b vs Gemma 3 4B
Side by side comparison of gpt-oss-20b and Gemma 3 4B on pricing, benchmark scores, context window, and more.
gpt-oss-20b is an open-weight 21B parameter model released by OpenAI under the Apache 2.0 license.
- Input / 1M
- $0.02
- Output / 1M
- $0.09
- Context
- 131K
Gemma 3 introduces multimodality, supporting vision-language input and text outputs.
- Input / 1M
- $0.04
- Output / 1M
- $0.05
- Context
- 131K
Comparing image generators? Compare image models
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
gpt-oss-20b
1.3x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
gpt-oss-20b
10 vs 4.8 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Tie
131K vs 131K tokens
Newer release
gpt-oss-20b
Released August 5, 2025
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
gpt-oss-20b10
Gemma 3 4B4.8Coding index
gpt-oss-20bNot availableGemma 3 4B2.7Agentic index
gpt-oss-20bNot availableGemma 3 4BNot availablePricing
gpt-oss-20b vs Gemma 3 4B API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | gpt-oss-20b | Gemma 3 4B |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.02 | $0.04 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.09 | $0.05 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.01 | $0.02 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
gpt-oss-20b$0.08Gemma 3 4B$0.11Coding task
30K in, 4K out
gpt-oss-20b$0.90$0.63 cachedGemma 3 4B$1.40$0.80 cachedLong document summary
150K in, 2K out
gpt-oss-20b$2.88$1.53 cachedGemma 3 4B$6.10$3.10 cachedSpecs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | gpt-oss-20b | Gemma 3 4B |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 131K tokens | 131K tokens |
| Max output | 33K tokens | 118K tokens |
| Input types | Text | Image, Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Medium, Low | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Medium | Not available |
| Release date | August 5, 2025 | March 13, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | gpt-oss-20b | Gemma 3 4B |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Not supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Not supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
gpt-oss-20bView full model details- gpt-oss-20b vs gpt-oss-120b
- gpt-oss-20b vs Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite
- gpt-oss-20b vs Mistral Nemo
- gpt-oss-20b vs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
- gpt-oss-20b vs GPT-5 Nano
- gpt-oss-20b vs Mercury 2.5
- gpt-oss-20b vs GPT-4.1 Nano
- gpt-oss-20b vs Mistral Small 3
- gpt-oss-20b vs Granite 4.2 8B
- gpt-oss-20b vs Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
- gpt-oss-20b vs Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B
Our take
gpt-oss-20b is 1.3x cheaper for a typical chat. gpt-oss-20b scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (10 vs 4.8). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is gpt-oss-20b or Gemma 3 4B cheaper?
gpt-oss-20b is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). gpt-oss-20b costs $0.02 per 1M input tokens and $0.09 per 1M output tokens, while Gemma 3 4B costs $0.04 per 1M input tokens and $0.05 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, gpt-oss-20b or Gemma 3 4B?
gpt-oss-20b supports up to 131K tokens of context, compared with 131K for Gemma 3 4B.
Is gpt-oss-20b smarter than Gemma 3 4B?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, gpt-oss-20b scores 10 and Gemma 3 4B scores 4.8, putting gpt-oss-20b ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use gpt-oss-20b and Gemma 3 4B at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see gpt-oss-20b and Gemma 3 4B answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to gpt-oss-20b and Gemma 3 4B at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.