Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite vs Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) and Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL (2025) are compact production models from AI at Meta and NVIDIA AI. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8k-token context window, while Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL ships a not-yet-sourced context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is ~100% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL only for vision-heavy evaluation.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | tool-calling agents | multimodal apps and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use | Vision and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.10/1M tokens | $0.60/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- 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 Function calling and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite for Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL for Vision and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
$105
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL
$310
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $205. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL is $0.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is $0.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-07-15 | 2025-10-28 |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Parameters | 8B | 12B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Llama 3 Community | Llama 3 Community |
| Openness | Open weights | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-03 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | $0.20/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.10/1M tokens | $0.60/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | 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 rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL, multimodal input: Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL, 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, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lists $0.10/1M input and $0.10/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL lists $0.20/1M input and $0.60/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lower by about $0.22 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL when vision-heavy evaluation 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, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.10/1M input and $0.10/1M output tokens. Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL costs $0.20/1M input and $0.60/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL open source?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is listed under Llama 3 Community. Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL 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 vision, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL 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, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
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 Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is available on Together AI. Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL is available on NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter, and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.