Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 3.1 70B
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Llama 3.1 70B is cheaper than Llama 3.1 405B at $0.35/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M input tokens — a 7.7x cost difference. Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1267). Choose Llama 3.1 70B for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Llama 3.1 405B for maximum quality.
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B?
Llama 3.1 70B is the cheaper option at $0.35/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.70/1M for Llama 3.1 405B. That is a 7.7x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Llama 3.1 405B charges $2.70/1M/1M vs $0.40/1M/1M for Llama 3.1 70B.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Llama 3.1 405B achieves a higher ELO score (1267 vs 1247), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Llama 3.1 405B excels at open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy. Llama 3.1 70B is known for excellent price-to-quality ratio.
Which should you choose: Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B?
- → Open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy
- → Competitive with GPT-4o on many benchmarks
- → Strong multilingual capabilities
- → Excellent price-to-quality ratio
- → Open source and self-hostable
- → Good at coding and instruction following
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B?
Llama 3.1 70B is cheaper at $0.35/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 7.7x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B?
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 Llama 3.1 70B?
Both Llama 3.1 405B and Llama 3.1 70B have the same context window.
Should I choose Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B?
Choose Llama 3.1 70B 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 Llama 3.1 70B excels at coding and low-cost.
Is Llama 3.1 405B or Llama 3.1 70B open source?
Llama 3.1 405B is open source. Llama 3.1 70B is open source.