Mistral Nemo vs Gemma 2: The Battle of the 12B Models

TL;DR

Mistral Nemo is the versatile workhorse with a larger context window, perfect for RAG. Gemma 2 punches above its weight in creative writing but lacks the long-context capability.

Specifications Comparison

Mistral Nemo (12B)

Pros

• ✅ Massive context window
• ✅ Excellent token efficiency
• ✅ Smarter reasoning

Cons

• ❌ Slightly heavier to run
• ❌ Requires flash-attn for speed
• ❌ Newer ecosystem

Gemma 2 (9B)

Pros

• ✅ Runs on consumer GPUs easily
• ✅ Backed by Google ecosystem
• ✅ Great creative writing

Cons

• ❌ Tiny context window
• ❌ Aggressive safety filters
• ❌ Lower reasoning score

Verdict

Mistral Nemo is the versatile workhorse with a larger context window, perfect for RAG. Gemma 2 punches above its weight in creative writing but lacks the long-context capability.

Last updated: February 2026