API cost decision in 10 seconds

New🔥Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Llama 3 8B Lunaris

Pick Llama 3 8B Lunaris for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.5 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Llama 3 8B Lunaris for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.5 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Llama 3 8B Lunaris is estimated at $0.07 vs $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash, saving $5.93 (98.9% lower).

Cost-first pickLlama 3 8B Lunaris
Context-first pickGemini 3.5 Flash
Sample savings$5.9398.9%
10x traffic gap$59.35

Gemini 3.5 Flash has more context, but Llama 3 8B Lunaris saves $5.93 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $59.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Llama 3 8B Lunaris stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGemini 3.5 FlashLlama 3 8B Lunaris
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputLlama 3 8B Lunaris$12$0.23
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputLlama 3 8B Lunaris$10.5$0.09
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputLlama 3 8B Lunaris$46.5$0.29
Cheaper input Llama 3 8B Lunaris $1.5 vs $0.04 / 1M

Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $1.46 cheaper per 1M input tokens (97.3% lower; 37.5x difference).

Cheaper output Llama 3 8B Lunaris $9 vs $0.05 / 1M

Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $8.95 cheaper per 1M output tokens (99.4% lower; 180x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.5 Flash 1.05M vs 8.19K

Gemini 3.5 Flash has 1.04M more context (128x larger).

Sample workload Llama 3 8B Lunaris $6 vs $0.07

Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $5.93 cheaper on the standard workload (98.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Gemini 3.5 Flash Calculating… Estimated API cost
Llama 3 8B Lunaris Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

Llama 3 8B Lunaris has the lower input price; Llama 3 8B Lunaris has the lower output price; Gemini 3.5 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Llama 3 8B Lunaris is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash and $0.07 for Llama 3 8B Lunaris.

Best Fit

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Llama 3 8B Lunaris when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Llama 3 8B Lunaris is estimated at $0.07 vs $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash, saving $5.93 (98.9% lower).
  • Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $5.93 cheaper on the standard workload (98.9% lower).
  • Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $1.46 cheaper per 1M input tokens (97.3% lower; 37.5x difference).
  • Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $8.95 cheaper per 1M output tokens (99.4% lower; 180x difference).
  • Gemini 3.5 Flash has 1.04M more context (128x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNew🔥Gemini 3.5 Flash
(Google)
Llama 3 8B Lunaris
(Sao10K)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$1.5$0.04
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$9$0.05
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$6$0.07
Context Window1.05M8.19K
Release Date
Popularity#11#115

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionLlama 3 8B LunarisOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Llama 3 8B Lunaris is estimated at $0.07 vs $6 for Gemini 3.5 Flash, saving $5.93 (98.9% lower).
High-volume input processingLlama 3 8B LunarisLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsLlama 3 8B LunarisLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.5 FlashA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.5 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
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