Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite vs o4-mini
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) and o4-mini (2025) are frontier reasoning models from AI at Meta and OpenAI. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8K-token context window, while o4-mini ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is ~400% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2025-07-15 | 2025-04-16 |
| Context window | 8K | — |
| Parameters | 8B | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-03 | 2025-08 |
Pricing and availability
| Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | o4-mini | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | $0.5/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.1/1M tokens | $2/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | o4-mini | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 vision: o4-mini, multimodal input: o4-mini, reasoning mode: o4-mini, and code execution: o4-mini. Both models share function calling, tool use, and 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 $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens, while o4-mini lists $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lower by about $0.85 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 4, 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 o4-mini when coding workflow support 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.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or o4-mini?
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. o4-mini costs $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or o4-mini open source?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is listed under Open Source. o4-mini is listed under Proprietary. 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 o4-mini?
o4-mini 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 o4-mini?
o4-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 reasoning mode, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or o4-mini?
o4-mini has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode 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 o4-mini?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is available on Together AI. o4-mini is available on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, OpenAI Batch API, and Replicate API. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.