Llama 3.3 70B Instruct vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (2025) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B (2025) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Alibaba. Llama 3.3 70B Instruct ships a 128k-token context window, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $0.96/1M 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.
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is ~885% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Llama 3.3 70B Instruct only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 128k | — |
| Cheapest output | $1.28/1M tokens | $0.78/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 3.3 70B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Llama 3.3 70B Instruct for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.78/1M tokens.
- Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B for 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.
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct
$1,088
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B
$273
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $815. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is $0.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 3.3 70B Instruct is $0.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-09-01 | 2025-12-01 |
| Context window | 128k | — |
| Parameters | 70B | 80B (3B active) |
| Architecture | - | - |
| License | Llama 3 Community | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-12 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.96/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.28/1M tokens | $0.78/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | 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 is close: both models cover structured outputs. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct lists $0.96/1M input and $1.28/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B lists $0.10/1M input and $0.78/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B lower by about $0.75 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 3.3 70B Instruct when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B 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. 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. For teams standardizing a stack, that distinction is often the difference between a benchmark win and a reliable deployment.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 3.3 70B Instruct costs $0.96/1M input and $1.28/1M output tokens. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B costs $0.10/1M input and $0.78/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama 3.3 70B Instruct or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B open source?
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct is listed under Llama 3 Community. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 structured outputs, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Both Llama 3.3 70B Instruct and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Llama 3.3 70B Instruct and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is available on AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, Venice AI, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama 3.3 70B Instruct over Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is ~885% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Llama 3.3 70B Instruct only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama 3.3 70B Instruct; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.