Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct vs Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct (2025) and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B (2026) are general-purpose language models from AI at Meta and Microsoft Research. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ships a 10m-token context window, while Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct leads by 15.1 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is safer overall; choose Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when vision-heavy evaluation matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Vision |
| Context window | 10m | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 12 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding leader | 1 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct holds a shared-benchmark lead on Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding, ahead by 15.1 points.
- 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 broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
$139
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
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 Scout 17B-16E 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2026-03-12 |
| Context window | 10m | — |
| Parameters | 109B (17B active) | 15B |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | - |
| License | Llama 4 Community | MITOSI-approved |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2025-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.08/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| 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
| Benchmark | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B |
|---|---|---|
| Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding | 69.4 | 54.3 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding has Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct at 69.4 and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B at 54.3, with Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ahead by 15.1 points. The largest visible gap is 15.1 points on Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on structured outputs: Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct. Both models share vision and 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has $0.08/1M input tokens and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 12 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when vision-heavy evaluation and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B 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.
FAQ
Is Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B open source?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is listed under Llama 4 Community. Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is listed under MIT. 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 Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Both Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for multimodal input, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Both Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Together AI, Fireworks AI, and DeepInfra. 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 Scout 17B-16E Instruct over Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B?
Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B is safer overall; choose Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when vision-heavy evaluation matters. If your workload also depends on vision-heavy evaluation, start with Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct; if it depends on vision-heavy evaluation, run the same evaluation with Phi-4 Reasoning Vision 15B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.