Grok 3 Mini vs Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
Grok 3 Mini (2025) and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) are compact production models from xAI and AI at Meta. Grok 3 Mini ships a 131k-token context window, while Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8K-token context window. On pricing, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.3/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is ~200% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for Grok 3 Mini only for long-context analysis.
Specs
| Released | 2025-02-17 | 2025-07-15 |
| Context window | 131k | 8K |
| Parameters | — | 8B |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2024-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Grok 3 Mini | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.3/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Grok 3 Mini | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Grok 3 Mini, function calling: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite, and tool use: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite. 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, Grok 3 Mini lists $0.3/1M input and $0.5/1M output tokens, while Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lists $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lower by about $0.26 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 3 Mini when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Grok 3 Mini or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Grok 3 Mini supports 131k 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, Grok 3 Mini or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 3 Mini costs $0.3/1M input and $0.5/1M output tokens. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 3 Mini or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite open source?
Grok 3 Mini is listed under Proprietary. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite 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, Grok 3 Mini or Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Grok 3 Mini 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 function calling, Grok 3 Mini 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.
Where can I run Grok 3 Mini and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite?
Grok 3 Mini is available on OpenRouter. 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: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.