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Command RvsAya 23 35B

Cohere vs Cohere — Side-by-side model comparison

Command R leads 4/5 categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricCommand RAya 23 35B
Provider
Arena Rank
#23
Context Window
128K
8K
Input Pricing
$0.15/1M tokens
Free (open)/1M tokens
Output Pricing
$0.60/1M tokens
Free (open)/1M tokens
Parameters
35B
35B
Open Source
Yes
Yes
Best For
Cost-effective RAG, summarization, chat
Multilingual tasks, low-resource languages
Release Date
Mar 11, 2024
May 23, 2024

Command R

Command R, developed by Cohere, is an enterprise-grade model with 35 billion parameters and a 128K token context window optimized for retrieval-augmented generation. The model specializes in grounded generation, producing responses with accurate citations from provided source documents. It handles document search, summarization, information extraction, and conversational Q&A with built-in citation capabilities. Command R supports 10 languages and features production-ready RAG tooling that reduces hallucination on retrieval tasks. Priced at $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.60 per million output tokens, it offers cost-effective enterprise search capabilities. As an open-source model, it can also be self-hosted. Command R ranks #23 on the Chatbot Arena leaderboard, reflecting its specialized design for retrieval tasks rather than general-purpose benchmarks where broad models score higher.

View Cohere profile →

Aya 23 35B

Aya 23 35B, developed by Cohere through the Cohere For AI research initiative, is an open-source multilingual model with 35 billion parameters and an 8K token context window supporting 23 languages. The model was developed with contributions from researchers worldwide, focusing on extending quality AI capabilities to lower-resource languages that mainstream models underserve. Aya 23 35B performs well on multilingual benchmarks, particularly for languages in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia where few commercial alternatives exist. Free and open-source, it can be fine-tuned and deployed for language-specific applications without cost. The model represents Cohere's commitment to democratizing AI access globally, providing a foundation for researchers and developers working in languages outside the English-Chinese-European focus of most commercial models.

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Key Differences: Command R vs Aya 23 35B

1

Command R supports a larger context window (128K), allowing it to process longer documents in a single request.

2

Command R has 35B parameters vs Aya 23 35B's 35B, which affects inference speed and capability.

C

When to use Command R

  • +You need to process long documents (128K context)
  • +Your use case involves cost-effective rag, summarization, chat
View full Command R specs →
A

When to use Aya 23 35B

  • +Your use case involves multilingual tasks, low-resource languages
View full Aya 23 35B specs →

The Verdict

Command R wins our head-to-head comparison with 4 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for cost-effective rag, summarization, chat, though Aya 23 35B holds an edge in multilingual tasks, low-resource languages.

Last compared: April 2026 · Data sourced from public benchmarks and official pricing pages

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Command R or Aya 23 35B?
In our head-to-head comparison, Command R leads in 4 out of 5 categories (arena rank, context window, input pricing, output pricing, and parameters). Command R excels at cost-effective rag, summarization, chat, while Aya 23 35B is better suited for multilingual tasks, low-resource languages. The best choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and use case.
How does Command R pricing compare to Aya 23 35B?
Command R charges $0.15 per 1M input tokens and $0.60 per 1M output tokens. Aya 23 35B charges Free (open) per 1M input tokens and Free (open) per 1M output tokens. For high-volume production workloads, the pricing difference can significantly impact total cost of ownership.
What is the context window difference between Command R and Aya 23 35B?
Command R supports a 128K token context window, while Aya 23 35B supports 8K tokens. Command R can process longer documents, codebases, and conversations in a single request. Context window size matters most for tasks involving long documents, large codebases, or extended conversations.
Can I use Command R or Aya 23 35B for free?
Command R is a paid API model starting at $0.15 per 1M input tokens. Aya 23 35B is a paid API model starting at Free (open) per 1M input tokens. Open-source models can be self-hosted for free but require your own GPU infrastructure.
Which model has better benchmarks, Command R or Aya 23 35B?
Command R holds arena rank #23, while Aya 23 35B's rank is not yet available. Note that benchmarks don't capture every use case — we recommend testing both models on your specific tasks.
Is Command R or Aya 23 35B better for coding?
Command R's primary strength is cost-effective rag, summarization, chat. Aya 23 35B's primary strength is multilingual tasks, low-resource languages. For coding specifically, arena rank and code-specific benchmarks are the best indicators of performance.