Gemma 3 vs Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
Gemma 3 (2025) and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and AI at Meta. Gemma 3 ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8k-token context window. On pricing, Gemma 3 costs $0.04/1M input tokens versus $0.10/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Gemma 3 is ~150% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3 | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Classification and JSON / Tool use | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | — | 8k |
| Cheapest output | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemma 3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.08/1M tokens.
- Gemma 3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 3 for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite uniquely exposes Function calling and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite for Agents, 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.
Gemma 3
$52.00
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
$105
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $53.00. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 3 and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is $0.02/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Gemma 3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemma 3 is $0.02/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling and Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-03-12 | 2025-07-15 |
| Context window | — | 8k |
| Parameters | — | 8B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Gemma | Llama 3 Community |
| Openness | Open weights | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | 2024-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3 | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.04/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3 | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on function calling: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and tool use: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite. 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, Gemma 3 lists $0.04/1M input and $0.08/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lists $0.10/1M input and $0.10/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemma 3 lower by about $0.05 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemma 3 when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite when provider fit are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Gemma 3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemma 3 costs $0.04/1M input and $0.08/1M output tokens. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.10/1M input and $0.10/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemma 3 or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite open source?
Gemma 3 is listed under Gemma. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite 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 function calling, Gemma 3 or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for tool use, Gemma 3 or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the clearer documented tool use signal in this comparison. If tool use is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Gemma 3 or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Both Gemma 3 and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Gemma 3 and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Gemma 3 is available on OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, and GCP Vertex AI. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is available on Together AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.