Grok 2 vs Llama 3.1 405B
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Grok 2 is cheaper than Llama 3.1 405B at $2.00/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M input tokens — a 1.4x cost difference. Grok 2 scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1290). Choose Grok 2 for cost-sensitive workloads; both are strong choices depending on your budget.
Which is cheaper: Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
Grok 2 is the cheaper option at $2.00/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.70/1M for Llama 3.1 405B. That is a 1.4x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Grok 2 charges $10.00/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M for Llama 3.1 405B.
Which has better quality: Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Grok 2 achieves a higher ELO score (1290 vs 1267), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Grok 2 excels at real-time x (twitter) data access. Llama 3.1 405B is known for open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy.
Which should you choose: Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
- → Real-time X (Twitter) data access
- → Strong at current events and trending topics
- → Good humor and conversational ability
- → 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: Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
Grok 2 is cheaper at $2.00/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 1.4x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
Grok 2 scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1290, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
Both Grok 2 and Llama 3.1 405B have the same context window.
Should I choose Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B?
Choose Grok 2 if cost is the priority. Choose Grok 2 if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: Grok 2 is best for research and creative-writing, while Llama 3.1 405B excels at coding and research.
Is Grok 2 or Llama 3.1 405B open source?
Grok 2 is proprietary. Llama 3.1 405B is open source.