Llama 3.1 405B vs Command R+
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Command R+ is cheaper than Llama 3.1 405B at $2.50/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M input tokens — a 1.1x cost difference. Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1267). Choose Command R+ for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Llama 3.1 405B for maximum quality.
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+?
Command R+ is the cheaper option at $2.50/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.70/1M for Llama 3.1 405B. That is a 1.1x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Llama 3.1 405B charges $2.70/1M/1M vs $10.00/1M/1M for Command R+.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Llama 3.1 405B achieves a higher ELO score (1267 vs 1230), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Llama 3.1 405B excels at open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy. Command R+ is known for best-in-class retrieval-augmented generation (rag).
Which should you choose: Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+?
- → Open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy
- → Competitive with GPT-4o on many benchmarks
- → Strong multilingual capabilities
- → Best-in-class retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
- → Native document grounding with citations
- → Strong for enterprise knowledge bases
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+?
Command R+ is cheaper at $2.50/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 1.1x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+?
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 Command R+?
Llama 3.1 405B has a larger context window at 131K tokens.
Should I choose Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+?
Choose Command R+ 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 Command R+ excels at research and document-analysis.
Is Llama 3.1 405B or Command R+ open source?
Llama 3.1 405B is open source. Command R+ is proprietary.