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Llama 3.1 405BvsLlama 3 8B

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

Llama 3.1 405B leads 3/5 categories

Head-to-Head Comparison

MetricLlama 3.1 405BLlama 3 8B
Provider
Meta AI
Meta AI
Arena Rank
#9
Context Window
128K
8K
Input Pricing
Free (open)/1M tokens
Free (open)/1M tokens
Output Pricing
Free (open)/1M tokens
Free (open)/1M tokens
Parameters
405B
8B
Open Source
Yes
Yes
Best For
Complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks
Edge deployment, fast inference, fine-tuning
Release Date
Jul 23, 2024
Apr 18, 2024

Llama 3.1 405B

Llama 3.1 405B, developed by Meta AI, is the largest open-source language model with 405 billion parameters and a 128K token context window. The model rivaled GPT-4-class performance on many benchmarks at the time of its release, representing one of the most ambitious open-source AI projects in history. Training required massive computational resources, but Meta open-sourced all weights, enabling the global research community to study, fine-tune, and deploy it freely. Llama 3.1 405B requires multiple high-end GPUs for inference, limiting deployment to organizations with substantial compute infrastructure. It supports multilingual tasks, advanced reasoning, and tool use. Llama 3.1 405B ranks #9 on the Chatbot Arena leaderboard, confirming that open-source models can compete at the frontier of AI capability when sufficient resources are invested in training.

Llama 3 8B

Llama 3 8B, developed by Meta AI, is a compact open-source model with 8 billion parameters and an 8K token context window. The model delivers strong performance for its size on general reasoning, instruction following, and text generation tasks. Trained on over 15 trillion tokens, Llama 3 8B benefits from a data-rich training regimen that maximizes capability within its compact footprint. It runs efficiently on a single consumer GPU, making it ideal for edge deployment, mobile applications, and on-device AI where network latency or data privacy concerns preclude cloud-based solutions. As a fully open-source model under Meta's permissive license, it supports commercial use and fine-tuning at zero cost. Llama 3 8B has become one of the most fine-tuned base models in the open-source ecosystem, powering thousands of specialized applications.

Key Differences: Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 3 8B

1

Llama 3.1 405B supports a larger context window (128K), allowing it to process longer documents in a single request.

2

Llama 3.1 405B has 405B parameters vs Llama 3 8B's 8B, which affects inference speed and capability.

L

When to use Llama 3.1 405B

  • +You need to process long documents (128K context)
  • +Your use case involves complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks
View full Llama 3.1 405B specs →
L

When to use Llama 3 8B

  • +Your use case involves edge deployment, fast inference, fine-tuning
View full Llama 3 8B specs →

The Verdict

Llama 3.1 405B wins our head-to-head comparison with 3 out of 5 category wins. It's the stronger choice for complex reasoning, coding, multilingual tasks, though Llama 3 8B holds an edge in edge deployment, fast inference, fine-tuning.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3 8B?
In our head-to-head comparison, Llama 3.1 405B leads in 3 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 8B is better suited for edge deployment, fast inference, fine-tuning. The best choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and use case.
How does Llama 3.1 405B pricing compare to Llama 3 8B?
Llama 3.1 405B charges Free (open) per 1M input tokens and Free (open) per 1M output tokens. Llama 3 8B 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 8B?
Llama 3.1 405B supports a 128K token context window, while Llama 3 8B supports 8K tokens. Llama 3.1 405B 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 Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3 8B for free?
Llama 3.1 405B is a paid API model starting at Free (open) per 1M input tokens. Llama 3 8B 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 8B?
Llama 3.1 405B holds arena rank #9, while Llama 3 8B'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 Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3 8B better for coding?
Llama 3.1 405B is specifically optimized for coding tasks. Llama 3 8B's primary strength is edge deployment, fast inference, fine-tuning. For coding specifically, arena rank and code-specific benchmarks are the best indicators of performance.