GPT-4o Audio vs Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct
GPT-4o Audio (2024) and Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct (2026) are compact production models from OpenAI and AI at Meta. GPT-4o Audio ships a 128K-token context window, while Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct costs $0.24/1M input tokens versus $2.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is ~942% cheaper at $0.24/1M; pay for GPT-4o Audio only for provider fit.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-10-01 | 2026-01-01 |
| Context window | 128K | — |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Unknown | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o Audio | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.5/1M tokens | $0.24/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $0.97/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o Audio | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and structured outputs: Llama 4 Maverick 17B 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, GPT-4o Audio lists $2.5/1M input and $10/1M output tokens, while Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct lists $0.24/1M input and $0.97/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct lower by about $4.29 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4o Audio when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct when provider fit and lower input-token cost 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. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4o Audio costs $2.5/1M input and $10/1M output tokens. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct costs $0.24/1M input and $0.97/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct open source?
GPT-4o Audio is listed under Unknown. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is listed under Proprietary. 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 multimodal input, GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B 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.
Which is better for structured outputs, GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B 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 GPT-4o Audio and Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct?
GPT-4o Audio is available on OpenRouter. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
When should I pick GPT-4o Audio over Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is ~942% cheaper at $0.24/1M; pay for GPT-4o Audio only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with GPT-4o Audio; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.