Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite vs ShieldGemma 2
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite (2025) and ShieldGemma 2 (2024) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Google DeepMind. Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite ships a 8k-token context window, while ShieldGemma 2 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 safer overall; choose ShieldGemma 2 when vision-heavy evaluation matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | ShieldGemma 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | tool-calling agents | multimodal apps and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use | Agents, Vision, and Classification |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.10/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite for Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
- ShieldGemma 2 uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags ShieldGemma 2 for Agents, Vision, and Classification.
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
ShieldGemma 2
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and ShieldGemma 2; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- ShieldGemma 2 adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for ShieldGemma 2 and Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-07-15 | 2024-09-01 |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Parameters | 8B | 4B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | Llama 3 Community | Proprietary |
| Openness | Open weights | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-03 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | ShieldGemma 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.10/1M tokens | - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite | ShieldGemma 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| 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 differs most on vision: ShieldGemma 2 and multimodal input: ShieldGemma 2. 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite has $0.10/1M input tokens and ShieldGemma 2 has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 1. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose ShieldGemma 2 when vision-heavy evaluation 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
Is Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or ShieldGemma 2 open source?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is listed under Llama 3 Community. ShieldGemma 2 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 ShieldGemma 2?
ShieldGemma 2 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 ShieldGemma 2?
ShieldGemma 2 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 ShieldGemma 2?
Both Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and ShieldGemma 2 expose function calling. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for tool use, Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite or ShieldGemma 2?
Both Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and ShieldGemma 2 expose tool use. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite and ShieldGemma 2?
Together AI - Llama 3 8B Lite is available on Together AI. ShieldGemma 2 is available on GCP Vertex AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.