Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct (2025) and Nemotron 3 Ultra (2026) are frontier reasoning models from AI at Meta and NVIDIA AI. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ships a 10m-token context window, while Nemotron 3 Ultra ships a 1m-token context window. On pricing, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct costs $0.08/1M input tokens versus $0.50/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is ~525% cheaper at $0.08/1M; pay for Nemotron 3 Ultra only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps and long-context analysis |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Long context |
| Context window | 10m | 1m |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $2.20/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 12 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 3 Ultra for Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
$139
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Nemotron 3 Ultra
$950
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $811. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra is $1.90/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is $1.90/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2026-06-04 |
| Context window | 10m | 1m |
| Parameters | 109B (17B active) | 550B |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Llama 4 Community | NVIDIA Open Model |
| Openness | Open weights | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $2.20/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Nemotron 3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| 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 scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct, multimodal input: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct, reasoning mode: Nemotron 3 Ultra, and structured outputs: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct. Both models share the core language-model surface, 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct lists $0.08/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Nemotron 3 Ultra lists $0.50/1M input and $2.20/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct lower by about $0.86 per million blended tokens. Availability is 12 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron 3 Ultra when reasoning depth are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct supports 10m tokens, while Nemotron 3 Ultra supports 1m tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct costs $0.08/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Nemotron 3 Ultra costs $0.50/1M input and $2.20/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Nemotron 3 Ultra open source?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is listed under Llama 4 Community. Nemotron 3 Ultra is listed under NVIDIA Open Model. 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct 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.
Which is better for multimodal input, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct 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.
Where can I run Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and Nemotron 3 Ultra?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Together AI, Fireworks AI, and DeepInfra. Nemotron 3 Ultra is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.