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Llama 3.1 405BvsLlama 3.3 70B

Meta AI vs Meta AI — Side-by-side model comparison

Llama 3.1 405B leads 2/5 categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricLlama 3.1 405BLlama 3.3 70B
Provider
Arena Rank
#9
#13
Context Window
128K
128K
Input Pricing
Free (open)/1M tokens
Free (open)/1M tokens
Output Pricing
Free (open)/1M tokens
Free (open)/1M tokens
Parameters
405B
70B
Open Source
Yes
Yes
Best For
Complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks
Instruction following, coding, reasoning
Release Date
Jul 23, 2024
Dec 6, 2024

Llama 3.1 405B

Llama 3.1 405B is Meta's largest and most capable open-source language model, representing a major milestone as the first open model to rival top proprietary systems like GPT-4 and Claude 3.5 Sonnet across many benchmarks. With 405 billion parameters and a 128K context window, it excels at complex reasoning, coding, multilingual translation, and tool use. Its open-weight nature has made it a foundation for the open-source AI ecosystem, enabling organizations to deploy frontier-level AI without vendor lock-in.

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Llama 3.3 70B

Llama 3.3 70B is Meta's latest iteration of the 70B parameter class, delivering performance that approaches the much larger Llama 3.1 405B model at a fraction of the computational cost. It features improved instruction following, stronger coding abilities, and better reasoning compared to Llama 3.1 70B. This model demonstrates how continued training and optimization can dramatically improve performance at the same parameter count, making frontier-level AI more accessible.

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Key Differences: Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 3.3 70B

1

Llama 3.1 405B ranks higher in arena benchmarks (#9) indicating stronger overall performance.

2

Llama 3.1 405B has 405B parameters vs Llama 3.3 70B's 70B, which affects inference speed and capability.

L

When to use Llama 3.1 405B

  • +You need the highest quality output based on arena rankings
  • +Your use case involves complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks
View full Llama 3.1 405B specs →
L

When to use Llama 3.3 70B

  • +Your use case involves instruction following, coding, reasoning
View full Llama 3.3 70B specs →

The Verdict

Llama 3.1 405B wins our head-to-head comparison with 2 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks, though Llama 3.3 70B holds an edge in instruction following, coding, reasoning.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.3 70B?
In our head-to-head comparison, Llama 3.1 405B leads in 2 out of 5 categories (arena rank, context window, input pricing, output pricing, and parameters). Llama 3.1 405B excels at complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks, while Llama 3.3 70B is better suited for instruction following, coding, reasoning. The best choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and use case.
How does Llama 3.1 405B pricing compare to Llama 3.3 70B?
Llama 3.1 405B charges Free (open) per 1M input tokens and Free (open) per 1M output tokens. Llama 3.3 70B 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 Llama 3.1 405B and Llama 3.3 70B?
Llama 3.1 405B supports a 128K token context window, while Llama 3.3 70B supports 128K tokens. Context window size matters most for tasks involving long documents, large codebases, or extended conversations.
Can I use Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.3 70B for free?
Llama 3.1 405B is a paid API model starting at Free (open) per 1M input tokens. Llama 3.3 70B 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, Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.3 70B?
Llama 3.1 405B holds arena rank #9, while Llama 3.3 70B holds rank #13. Llama 3.1 405B performs better in overall arena benchmarks, which aggregate human preference ratings across coding, reasoning, and general tasks. Note that benchmarks don't capture every use case — we recommend testing both models on your specific tasks.
Is Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.3 70B better for coding?
Llama 3.1 405B is specifically optimized for coding tasks. Llama 3.3 70B is specifically optimized for coding tasks. For coding specifically, arena rank and code-specific benchmarks are the best indicators of performance.