Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct vs Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct (2025) and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B (2026) are general-purpose language models from AI at Meta and Microsoft Research. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct ships a 1m-token context window, while Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is safer overall; choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Long context | Vision |
| Context window | 1m | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.97/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Long context.
- Local decision data tags Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B for Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct
$435
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B
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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B and Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2026-03-12 |
| Context window | 1m | — |
| Parameters | 400B (17B active) | 15B |
| Architecture | - | - |
| License | Proprietary | Microsoft Research |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2025-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.24/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.97/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| 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 structured outputs: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct. Both models share multimodal input, 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: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has $0.24/1M input tokens and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 2 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B when provider fit 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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B open source?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is listed under Proprietary. Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is listed under Microsoft Research. 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 multimodal input, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Both Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for structured outputs, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct 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 Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway. Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct over Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is safer overall; choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct when provider fit matters. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.