GPT-4o Audio vs Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
GPT-4o Audio (2024) and Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct (2025) are compact production models from OpenAI and AI at Meta. GPT-4o Audio ships a 128k-token context window, while Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ships a 10m-token context window. On pricing, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct costs $0.08/1M input tokens versus $2.50/1M 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.
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is ~3025% cheaper at $0.08/1M; pay for GPT-4o Audio only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4o Audio | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Long context | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 10m |
| Cheapest output | $10/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 12 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o Audio for Long context.
- 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 the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- 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, Multimodal, and Structured outputs 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.
GPT-4o Audio
$4,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
$139
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $4,361. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is $9.70/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o Audio is $9.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-10-01 | 2025-04-05 |
| Context window | 128k | 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 | 2023-10 | 2024-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o Audio | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.50/1M tokens | $0.08/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o Audio | 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 | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct, multimodal input: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct, and structured outputs: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E 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 $2.50/1M input and $10/1M 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 Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct lower by about $4.60 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 12, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4o Audio when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct supports 10m tokens, while GPT-4o Audio supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4o Audio costs $2.50/1M input and $10/1M 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 GPT-4o Audio or Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct open source?
GPT-4o Audio 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, GPT-4o Audio 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, GPT-4o Audio 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 GPT-4o Audio and Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct?
GPT-4o Audio is available on OpenRouter. 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.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.