Granite 3.3 8B Instruct vs Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct (2025) and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) are compact production models from IBM Research and AI at Meta. Granite 3.3 8B Instruct ships a 128k-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.
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is ~233% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Granite 3.3 8B Instruct | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | tool-calling agents and provider-routed production | tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 128k | 8k |
| Cheapest output | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Granite 3.3 8B Instruct for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.10/1M tokens.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite uniquely exposes 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.
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct
$86.50
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
$105
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $18.50. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Granite 3.3 8B Instruct and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is $0.15/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Granite 3.3 8B Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is $0.15/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-03-01 | 2025-07-15 |
| Context window | 128k | 8k |
| Parameters | 8B | 8B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Apache 2.0(OSI) | Llama 3 Community |
| Openness | Open source | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | 2024-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Granite 3.3 8B Instruct | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Granite 3.3 8B Instruct | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | 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 structured outputs: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite. Both models share function calling and tool use, 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, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct lists $0.03/1M input and $0.25/1M 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 Granite 3.3 8B Instruct lower by about $0.00 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Granite 3.3 8B Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost 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 has a larger context window, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct supports 128k tokens, while Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Granite 3.3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input and $0.25/1M 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 Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite open source?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is listed under Apache 2.0. 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, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Both Granite 3.3 8B Instruct and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite expose function calling. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for tool use, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Both Granite 3.3 8B Instruct and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite expose tool use. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Granite 3.3 8B Instruct and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is available on NVIDIA NIM and Replicate API. 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.