GPT-5.4 vs Llama 3 8B Instruct
GPT-5.4 (2026) and Llama 3 8B Instruct (2024) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and AI at Meta. GPT-5.4 ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while Llama 3 8B Instruct ships a 8K-token context window. On MMLU PRO, GPT-5.4 leads by 47 pts. On pricing, Llama 3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input tokens versus $2.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Llama 3 8B Instruct is ~8233% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for GPT-5.4 only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2026-03-05 | 2024-04-18 |
| Context window | — | 8K |
| Parameters | — | 8B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| GPT-5.4 | Llama 3 8B Instruct | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.5/1M tokens | $0.03/1M tokens |
| Output price | $15/1M tokens | $0.04/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| GPT-5.4 | Llama 3 8B Instruct | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-5.4 | Llama 3 8B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 87.5 | 40.5 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 92.0 | 44.8 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has GPT-5.4 at 87.5 and Llama 3 8B Instruct at 40.5, with GPT-5.4 ahead by 47 points; Google-Proof Q&A has GPT-5.4 at 92 and Llama 3 8B Instruct at 44.8, with GPT-5.4 ahead by 47.2 points. The largest visible gap is 47.2 points on Google-Proof Q&A, 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 multimodal input: GPT-5.4, reasoning mode: GPT-5.4, function calling: GPT-5.4, tool use: GPT-5.4, and code execution: GPT-5.4. 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, GPT-5.4 lists $2.5/1M input and $15/1M output tokens, while Llama 3 8B Instruct lists $0.03/1M input and $0.04/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 3 8B Instruct lower by about $6.22 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 17, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-5.4 when coding workflow support are central to the workload. Choose Llama 3 8B Instruct when provider fit, lower input-token cost, 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 is cheaper, GPT-5.4 or Llama 3 8B Instruct?
Llama 3 8B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-5.4 costs $2.5/1M input and $15/1M output tokens. Llama 3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input and $0.04/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-5.4 or Llama 3 8B Instruct open source?
GPT-5.4 is listed under Proprietary. Llama 3 8B Instruct is listed under Open Source. 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-5.4 or Llama 3 8B Instruct?
GPT-5.4 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 reasoning mode, GPT-5.4 or Llama 3 8B Instruct?
GPT-5.4 has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, GPT-5.4 or Llama 3 8B Instruct?
GPT-5.4 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.
Where can I run GPT-5.4 and Llama 3 8B Instruct?
GPT-5.4 is available on OpenAI API and OpenRouter. Llama 3 8B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock, DeepInfra, OctoAI API, Fireworks AI, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.