API cost decision in 10 seconds

gpt-oss-20b vs Llama 3 8B Lunaris

Pick Llama 3 8B Lunaris for lower cost; pick gpt-oss-20b 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 gpt-oss-20b 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 $0.1 for gpt-oss-20b, saving $0.04 (35% lower).

Cost-first pickLlama 3 8B Lunaris
Context-first pickgpt-oss-20b
Sample savings$0.0435%
10x traffic gap$0.35

gpt-oss-20b has more context, but Llama 3 8B Lunaris saves $0.04 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors gpt-oss-20b, balanced workload favors Llama 3 8B Lunaris, and output-heavy chatbot favors Llama 3 8B Lunaris.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickgpt-oss-20bLlama 3 8B Lunaris
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputgpt-oss-20b$0.22$0.23
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputLlama 3 8B Lunaris$0.17$0.09
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputLlama 3 8B Lunaris$0.73$0.29
Cheaper input gpt-oss-20b $0.03 vs $0.04 / 1M

gpt-oss-20b is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).

Cheaper output Llama 3 8B Lunaris $0.14 vs $0.05 / 1M

Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $0.09 cheaper per 1M output tokens (64.3% lower; 2.8x difference).

Larger context gpt-oss-20b 131.07K vs 8.19K

gpt-oss-20b has 122.88K more context (16x larger).

Sample workload Llama 3 8B Lunaris $0.1 vs $0.07

Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $0.04 cheaper on the standard workload (35% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
gpt-oss-20b 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

gpt-oss-20b has the lower input price; Llama 3 8B Lunaris has the lower output price; gpt-oss-20b 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 $0.1 for gpt-oss-20b and $0.07 for Llama 3 8B Lunaris.

Best Fit

Choose gpt-oss-20b when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Llama 3 8B Lunaris when you care most about 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 $0.1 for gpt-oss-20b, saving $0.04 (35% lower).
  • Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $0.04 cheaper on the standard workload (35% lower).
  • gpt-oss-20b is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
  • Llama 3 8B Lunaris is $0.09 cheaper per 1M output tokens (64.3% lower; 2.8x difference).
  • gpt-oss-20b has 122.88K more context (16x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
Featuregpt-oss-20b
(OpenAI)
Llama 3 8B Lunaris
(Sao10K)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.03$0.04
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.14$0.05
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.1$0.07
Context Window131.07K8.19K
Release Date
Popularity#67#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 $0.1 for gpt-oss-20b, saving $0.04 (35% lower).
High-volume input processinggpt-oss-20bLower 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 workgpt-oss-20bA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace gpt-oss-20b when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace gpt-oss-20b when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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OpenAI catalog

Review all tracked OpenAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Sao10K catalog

Check other Sao10K models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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gpt-oss-20b

gpt-oss-20b is an open-weight 21B parameter model released by OpenAI under the Apache 2.0 license. It uses a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture with 3.6B active parameters per forward pass, optimized for...

Llama 3 8B Lunaris

Lunaris 8B is a versatile generalist and roleplaying model based on Llama 3. It's a strategic merge of multiple models, designed to balance creativity with improved logic and general knowledge....