GPT-4o mini vs Llama 3.1 405B
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
GPT-4o mini is cheaper than Llama 3.1 405B at $0.15/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M input tokens — a 18.0x cost difference. GPT-4o mini scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1272). Choose GPT-4o mini for cost-sensitive workloads; both are strong choices depending on your budget.
Which is cheaper: GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
GPT-4o mini is the cheaper option at $0.15/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.70/1M for Llama 3.1 405B. That is a 18.0x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: GPT-4o mini charges $0.60/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M for Llama 3.1 405B.
Which has better quality: GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, GPT-4o mini achieves a higher ELO score (1272 vs 1267), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. GPT-4o mini excels at extremely low cost — cheapest flagship-family model. Llama 3.1 405B is known for open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy.
Which should you choose: GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
- → Extremely low cost — cheapest flagship-family model
- → Fast inference
- → Good at structured data extraction
- → Open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy
- → Competitive with GPT-4o on many benchmarks
- → Strong multilingual capabilities
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
GPT-4o mini is cheaper at $0.15/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 18.0x more affordable.
Which has better quality: GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
GPT-4o mini scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1272, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
Llama 3.1 405B has a larger context window at 131K tokens.
Should I choose GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B?
Choose GPT-4o mini if cost is the priority. Choose GPT-4o mini if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: GPT-4o mini is best for customer-support and data-extraction, while Llama 3.1 405B excels at coding and research.
Is GPT-4o mini or Llama 3.1 405B open source?
GPT-4o mini is proprietary. Llama 3.1 405B is open source.