Gemma 4 Has Four Models — Here's Which One You Actually Need

Google decided to go all-in and release four variations of Gemma 4 at once. Sounds generous, but it's like ordering a burger and getting four different sauces — you just wanted fries. Choice is nice, but now you have decision paralysis.

Let's sort them out. Gemma 4 includes: a base model for light tasks, a tool-use model (for APIs and code), an expert Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) for complex scenarios, and a giant version that requires a server farm in your garage. The difference isn't just size — MoE only activates a subset of neurons, saving compute.

For a developer, the choice boils down to: how much cloud budget do you have, and how hard is the task? Building a Telegram bot? Base model is fine. Building an AI agent that deploys itself? Grab MoE. The giant version? Leave it for folks with a data center that has AC strong enough to cool a jet engine.

Google claims all four models are open and available via Vertex AI and on-prem. But don't kid yourself — running the giant model locally on your MacBook will either end in fireworks or a quiet "out of memory".

Studio METABYTE comment: As a studio that loves experimenting with models, we say: don't rush. Spend an hour testing before you commit to the "heavy artillery" that ends up solving a "hello world" problem.