Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is $0.23 cheaper per 1M input tokens (92% lower; 12.5x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Pick Llama 3.1 8B Instruct for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Llama 3.1 8B Instruct for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is estimated at $0.04 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.95 (95.5% lower).
Cost-first pickLlama 3.1 8B Instruct
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Sample savings$0.9595.5%
10x traffic gap$9.55
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has more context, but Llama 3.1 8B Instruct saves $0.95 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $9.55. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | $2 | $0.12 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | $1.75 | $0.07 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | $7.75 | $0.27 |
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is $1.45 cheaper per 1M output tokens (96.7% lower; 30x difference).
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 917.5K more context (8x larger).
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is $0.95 cheaper on the standard workload (95.5% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has the lower input price; Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and $0.04 for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.
Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is estimated at $0.04 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.95 (95.5% lower).
- Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is $0.95 cheaper on the standard workload (95.5% lower).
- Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is $0.23 cheaper per 1M input tokens (92% lower; 12.5x difference).
- Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is $1.45 cheaper per 1M output tokens (96.7% lower; 30x difference).
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has 917.5K more context (8x larger).
| Feature | NewGemini 3.1 Flash Lite (Google) | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Meta) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.25 | $0.02 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.5 | $0.05 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1 | $0.04 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 131.07K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #24 | #40 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is estimated at $0.04 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, saving $0.95 (95.5% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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