Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite vs Qwen3-235B-A22B
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) and Qwen3-235B-A22B (2025) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Alibaba. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8K-token context window, while Qwen3-235B-A22B ships a 128K-token context window. On pricing, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.4/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is ~300% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for Qwen3-235B-A22B only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use | Coding, RAG, and Long context |
| Context window | 8K | 128K |
| Cheapest output | $0.1/1M tokens | $1.2/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.1/1M 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.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-235B-A22B for Coding, RAG, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite
$105
Cheapest tracked route: Together AI
Qwen3-235B-A22B
$620
Cheapest tracked route: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $515. Batch, cache, 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 Qwen3-235B-A22B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B is $1.1/1M 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.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3-235B-A22B and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is $1.1/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-07-15 | 2025-04-29 |
| Context window | 8K | 128K |
| Parameters | 8B | 235B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-03 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.1/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.1/1M tokens | $1.2/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
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 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 $0.1/1M input and $0.1/1M output tokens, while Qwen3-235B-A22B lists $0.4/1M input and $1.2/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite lower by about $0.54 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 Qwen3-235B-A22B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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 has a larger context window, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Qwen3-235B-A22B supports 128K 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, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
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. Qwen3-235B-A22B costs $0.4/1M input and $1.2/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Qwen3-235B-A22B open source?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is listed under Open Source. Qwen3-235B-A22B 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 function calling, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
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 Qwen3-235B-A22B?
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.
Where can I run Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is available on Together AI. Qwen3-235B-A22B is available on Fireworks AI, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, and Venice AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-20. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.