Llama 3.1 405B vs Gemini 1.5 Flash
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Gemini 1.5 Flash is cheaper than Llama 3.1 405B at $0.07/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M input tokens — a 36.0x cost difference. Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1267). Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Llama 3.1 405B for maximum quality.
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is the cheaper option at $0.07/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.70/1M for Llama 3.1 405B. That is a 36.0x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Llama 3.1 405B charges $2.70/1M/1M vs $0.30/1M/1M for Gemini 1.5 Flash.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Llama 3.1 405B achieves a higher ELO score (1267 vs 1211), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Llama 3.1 405B excels at open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy. Gemini 1.5 Flash is known for one of the cheapest high-quality models available.
Which should you choose: Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash?
- → Open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy
- → Competitive with GPT-4o on many benchmarks
- → Strong multilingual capabilities
- → One of the cheapest high-quality models available
- → 1M token context window
- → Very fast inference
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is cheaper at $0.07/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 36.0x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash?
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 Gemini 1.5 Flash?
Gemini 1.5 Flash has a larger context window at 1000K tokens.
Should I choose Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash?
Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash 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 Gemini 1.5 Flash excels at low-cost and fast-response.
Is Llama 3.1 405B or Gemini 1.5 Flash open source?
Llama 3.1 405B is open source. Gemini 1.5 Flash is proprietary.