Llama 3.1 405B vs Claude 3 Opus
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Llama 3.1 405B is cheaper than Claude 3 Opus at $2.70/1M/1M vs $15.00/1M/1M input tokens — a 5.6x cost difference. Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1267). Choose Llama 3.1 405B for cost-sensitive workloads; both are strong choices depending on your budget.
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
Llama 3.1 405B is the cheaper option at $2.70/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $15.00/1M for Claude 3 Opus. That is a 5.6x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Llama 3.1 405B charges $2.70/1M/1M vs $75.00/1M/1M for Claude 3 Opus.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Llama 3.1 405B achieves a higher ELO score (1267 vs 1249), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Llama 3.1 405B excels at open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy. Claude 3 Opus is known for best claude model for creative writing.
Which should you choose: Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
- → Open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy
- → Competitive with GPT-4o on many benchmarks
- → Strong multilingual capabilities
- → Best Claude model for creative writing
- → 200K context window
- → Deep, thoughtful long-form analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
Llama 3.1 405B is cheaper at $2.70/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 5.6x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1267, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
Claude 3 Opus has a larger context window at 200K tokens.
Should I choose Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus?
Choose Llama 3.1 405B if cost is the priority. Choose Llama 3.1 405B if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: Llama 3.1 405B is best for coding and research, while Claude 3 Opus excels at creative-writing and research.
Is Llama 3.1 405B or Claude 3 Opus open source?
Llama 3.1 405B is open source. Claude 3 Opus is proprietary.