Gemini 1.5 Flash vs Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
Gemini 1.5 Flash (2024) and Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct (2025) are general-purpose language models from Google DeepMind and AI at Meta. Gemini 1.5 Flash ships a 1m-token context window, while Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ships a 10m-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct leads by 15.2 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Pick Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct for general evaluation; Gemini 1.5 Flash is better when provider fit matters more.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | long-context analysis and provider-routed production | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 1m | 10m |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 12 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 shared | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags Gemini 1.5 Flash for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 15.2 points.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemini 1.5 Flash
$135
Cheapest tracked route/tier: GCP Vertex AI
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
$139
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $4.00. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on GCP Vertex AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on GCP Vertex AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-05-14 | 2025-04-05 |
| Context window | 1m | 10m |
| Parameters | — | 109B (17B active) |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Proprietary | Llama 4 Community |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-05 | 2024-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.07/1M tokens | $0.08/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Gemini 1.5 Flash | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 59.1 | 74.3 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Gemini 1.5 Flash at 59.1 and Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct at 74.3, with Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ahead by 15.2 points. The largest visible gap is 15.2 points on MMLU PRO, 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 vision: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and multimodal input: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct. Both models share structured outputs, 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, Gemini 1.5 Flash lists $0.07/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct lists $0.08/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemini 1.5 Flash lower by about $0.00 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 12, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct supports 10m tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash supports 1m tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemini 1.5 Flash costs $0.07/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct costs $0.08/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemini 1.5 Flash or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct open source?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is listed under Proprietary. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is listed under Llama 4 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 vision, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for multimodal input, Gemini 1.5 Flash or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Gemini 1.5 Flash and Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Gemini 1.5 Flash is available on GCP Vertex AI and Google AI Studio. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Together AI, Fireworks AI, and DeepInfra. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.