ModelRefs / BGE-M3 vs Text Embedding 3 Large — Benchmarks, Pricing & Co…
BGE-M3 vs Text Embedding 3 Large — Benchmarks, Pricing & Co…
BGE-M3 vs Text Embedding 3 Large: side-by-side benchmarks, pricing, context windows, coding ability and deployment. Pick the right model for your stack.
Overview
BGE-M3: BAAI's 568M-parameter multilingual embedding and retrieval model supporting dense, sparse, and multi-vector representations with inputs up to 8,192 tokens.
Context window: BGE-M3 accepts up to 8,192 tokens, Text Embedding 3 Large up to 8,191. Confirm the limit for your specific deployment channel before relying on it.
BGE-M3 vs Text Embedding 3 Large at a glance
| Attribute | BGE-M3 | Text Embedding 3 Large |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | BAAI | OpenAI |
| Released | 2024-01-30 | 2024-01-25 |
| Context window | 8,192 tokens | 8,191 tokens |
| Input price | Free / self-hosted | $0.13/M tokens |
| Output price | Free / self-hosted | Free / self-hosted |
| Licence | MIT | Proprietary |
| Self-hostable | Yes, open weights | No, hosted only |
| Modalities | text, Embedding, Open Source, Multilingual, BAAI | text, Embedding |
Benchmarks reported for both
| Benchmark | BGE-M3 | Text Embedding 3 Large | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| miracl | 69.2 | 54.9 | 2024-07-01 / 2024-01-25 |
Scores are as published by their cited sources on the dates shown. Different runs use different harnesses, prompts, and dates, so treat these as directional evidence rather than a head-to-head result.
Where they differ most
- Multilingual: BGE-M3 95%, Text Embedding 3 Large 78%. BGE-M3 leads on this dimension.
- RAG Suitability: BGE-M3 95%, Text Embedding 3 Large 86%. BGE-M3 leads on this dimension.
- Cost Efficiency: BGE-M3 100%, Text Embedding 3 Large 99%. BGE-M3 leads on this dimension.
Capability scores are ModelRefs' own derived signals, not vendor claims or benchmark results. Validate against your own workload before relying on them.
Continue your research
Use these connected ModelRefs sections to compare alternatives, inspect implementation paths, and review the evidence and governance boundaries relevant to BGE-M3 vs Text Embedding 3 Large — Benchmarks, Pricing & Co….
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, BGE-M3 or Text Embedding 3 Large?
BGE-M3 and Text Embedding 3 Large target different workloads — see the benchmark and pricing tables for a side-by-side answer.
Is BGE-M3 cheaper than Text Embedding 3 Large?
Compare Free — open weights vs $0.00013 on this page.