DeepSeek V3 0324 vs Llama 3 70B Instruct
DeepSeek V3 0324 (2025) and Llama 3 70B Instruct (2024) are compact production models from DeepSeek and AI at Meta. DeepSeek V3 0324 ships a 160k-token context window, while Llama 3 70B Instruct ships a 8k-token context window. On HumanEval, DeepSeek V3 0324 leads by 12.9 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
DeepSeek V3 0324 is ~48% cheaper at $0.27/1M; pay for Llama 3 70B Instruct only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3 0324 | Llama 3 70B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Long context | Coding, Classification, and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 160k | 8k |
| Cheapest output | $1.12/1M tokens | $0.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 18 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | HumanEval leader | 1 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek V3 0324 holds a shared-benchmark lead on HumanEval, ahead by 12.9 points.
- DeepSeek V3 0324 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3 0324 for Coding, Agents, and Long context.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.40/1M tokens.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 3 70B Instruct for Coding, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
DeepSeek V3 0324
$496
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Novita AI
Llama 3 70B Instruct
$420
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Hyperbolic AI Inference
Estimated monthly gap: $76.00. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry, Fireworks AI, and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct is $0.72/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on Fireworks AI, Microsoft Foundry, and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V3 0324 is $0.72/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-03-24 | 2024-04-18 |
| Context window | 160k | 8k |
| Parameters | 671B | 70B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | MIT(OSI) | Llama 3 Community |
| Openness | Open source | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3 0324 | Llama 3 70B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.27/1M tokens | $0.40/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.12/1M tokens | $0.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3 0324 | Llama 3 70B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 0324 | Llama 3 70B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| HumanEval | 85.5 | 72.6 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, HumanEval has DeepSeek V3 0324 at 85.5 and Llama 3 70B Instruct at 72.6, with DeepSeek V3 0324 ahead by 12.9 points. The largest visible gap is 12.9 points on HumanEval, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on structured outputs: Llama 3 70B Instruct. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, DeepSeek V3 0324 lists $0.27/1M input and $1.12/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Llama 3 70B Instruct lists $0.40/1M input and $0.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 3 70B Instruct lower by about $0.13 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 18, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose DeepSeek V3 0324 when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Llama 3 70B Instruct when provider fit and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek V3 0324 or Llama 3 70B Instruct?
DeepSeek V3 0324 supports 160k tokens, while Llama 3 70B Instruct supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V3 0324 or Llama 3 70B Instruct?
Llama 3 70B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. DeepSeek V3 0324 costs $0.27/1M input and $1.12/1M output tokens. Llama 3 70B Instruct costs $0.40/1M input and $0.40/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is DeepSeek V3 0324 or Llama 3 70B Instruct open source?
DeepSeek V3 0324 is listed under MIT. Llama 3 70B Instruct is listed under Llama 3 Community. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for structured outputs, DeepSeek V3 0324 or Llama 3 70B Instruct?
Llama 3 70B Instruct has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run DeepSeek V3 0324 and Llama 3 70B Instruct?
DeepSeek V3 0324 is available on Fireworks AI, Microsoft Foundry, and Novita AI. Llama 3 70B Instruct is available on GCP Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry, NVIDIA NIM, and DeepInfra. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick DeepSeek V3 0324 over Llama 3 70B Instruct?
DeepSeek V3 0324 is ~48% cheaper at $0.27/1M; pay for Llama 3 70B Instruct only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on long-context analysis, start with DeepSeek V3 0324; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Llama 3 70B Instruct.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.