Gemma 3n 2B (free) vs Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
Gemma 3n 2B (free) (2025) and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and AI at Meta. Gemma 3n 2B (free) ships a 8k-token context window, while Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is safer overall; choose Gemma 3n 2B (free) when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | General | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 8k | 8k |
| Cheapest output | - | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Use Gemma 3n 2B (free) when your own prompt tests beat the comparison signals; the local data does not show a decisive standalone advantage yet.
- 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, Tool use, and Structured outputs 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 3n 2B (free)
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
$105
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite adds Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Gemma 3n 2B (free); plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-03 | 2025-07-15 |
| Context window | 8k | 8k |
| Parameters | 5B (2B effective active) | 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 | 2024-06 | 2024-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | 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 | No | 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, tool use: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite, and structured outputs: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite. 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Gemma 3n 2B (free) has no token price sourced yet and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has $0.10/1M input tokens. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 1. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemma 3n 2B (free) when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite when long-context analysis and larger context windows 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 has a larger context window, Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite supports 8k tokens, while Gemma 3n 2B (free) supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite open source?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) 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 3n 2B (free) 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 3n 2B (free) 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 3n 2B (free) or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite 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 Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) is available on NVIDIA NIM. 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: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.