Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite vs Llama Guard 3 1B
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) and Llama Guard 3 1B (2024) are compact production models from AI at Meta. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8K-token context window, while Llama Guard 3 1B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.1/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is safer overall; choose Llama Guard 3 1B when provider fit matters.
Specs
| Released | 2025-07-15 | 2024-09-25 |
| Context window | 8K | — |
| Parameters | 8B | 1B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-03 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Llama Guard 3 1B | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.1/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Llama Guard 3 1B | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 function calling: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite, tool use: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite, and structured outputs: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite. 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, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lists $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens, while Llama Guard 3 1B 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 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Llama Guard 3 1B when provider fit 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, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Llama Guard 3 1B?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens. Llama Guard 3 1B costs $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Llama Guard 3 1B open source?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is listed under Open Source. Llama Guard 3 1B 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 function calling, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Llama Guard 3 1B?
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.
Which is better for tool use, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Llama Guard 3 1B?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the clearer documented tool use signal in this comparison. If tool use is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Llama Guard 3 1B?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Llama Guard 3 1B?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is available on Together AI. Llama Guard 3 1B is available on Fireworks 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.