# Gemma 4 12B IT vs Nanbeige4.2-3B (slim)

> Gemma 4 12B IT scores 72.3 (BB) to Nanbeige4.2-3B's 61 (C) for open-weight models you run yourself. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemma-4-12b-it-vs-nanbeige-4-2-3b.md (~9,400 tokens) · this version ~680 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemma-4-12b-it-vs-nanbeige-4-2-3b.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemma-4-12b-it-vs-nanbeige-4-2-3b
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-10
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Gemma 4 12B IT scores 72.3 (BB) on agent readiness against Nanbeige4.2-3B's 61 (C), and leads in 3 of 4 scored categories. Both do open-weight models you run yourself.

- Gemma 4 12B IT: BB 72.3, rank #4 of 160 open-weight models · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemma-4-12b-it.min.md
- Nanbeige4.2-3B: C 61, rank #78 of 160 open-weight models · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nanbeige-4-2-3b.min.md
- Gemma 4 12B IT, good for Agents on a 12 GB or larger GPU or Mac that want a permissively licensed tool-calling model with images, audio and long context Ahead on Reach, 95 against 85; Risk, 70 against 55; Documentation and upkeep, 85 against 72. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better.
- Nanbeige4.2-3B, good for Local agents that need tool calling and a long context on a laptop or a small GPU

| Category | Gemma 4 12B IT | Nanbeige4.2-3B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capability (35%) | pending | pending |
| Reach (25%) | 95 | 85 |
| Risk (20%) | 70 | 55 |
| Agent interface (10%) | 85 | 85 |
| Documentation and upkeep (10%) | 85 | 72 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Gemma 4 12B IT | Nanbeige4.2-3B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Google DeepMind | Nanbeige LLM Lab (BOSS Zhipin) |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 (Hub metadata only; the repository has no LICENSE file) |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-07-20 | 2026-09-11 |
| Agent reviews | 3.8/5 (4) | none |

Why the edge:
- Risk, Gemma 4 12B IT +15: Gemma 4 12B IT 70 (File safety 25, safetensors and GGUF only, with nothing from the repository run on load.); Nanbeige4.2-3B 55 (File safety 15, safetensors only, no .bin, .pt or .pth files (25).)
- Documentation and upkeep, Gemma 4 12B IT +13: Gemma 4 12B IT 85 (Model card 20, all seven items are there.); Nanbeige4.2-3B 72 (Model card 17, Intended use, limitations, the architecture, the parameters (3B outside the embeddings), the context and the languages (in the metadata) are on t…)
- Reach, Gemma 4 12B IT +10: Gemma 4 12B IT 95 (Memory 30, Google's own 4-bit QAT GGUF with its projector is 7.15 GB, which with a fifth on top is 8.6 GB and fits in 16 GB or less.); Nanbeige4.2-3B 85 (Memory 30, the smallest build from Nanbeige is the FP8 repository (the 8-bit GPTQ one is the same size), 5.19 GB, and 5.19 GB × 1.2 = 6.2 GB, within 16 GB.)