Llama 4 Scout 17B vs Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning
Llama 4 Scout 17B (2025) and Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning (2025) are frontier reasoning models from AI at Meta and Microsoft Research. Llama 4 Scout 17B ships a 10m-token context window, while Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning ships a 128k-token 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.
Llama 4 Scout 17B fits 78x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Scout 17B | Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and long-context analysis | reasoning-heavy apps |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Vision | Long context |
| Context window | 10m | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $0.66/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Scout 17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B uniquely exposes Multimodal and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
- Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning 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
$301
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning
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 and Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Multimodal and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning and Llama 4 Scout 17B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B adds Multimodal and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-10-01 | 2025-12-01 |
| Context window | 10m | 128k |
| Parameters | 17 | 3.8B |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2025-02 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Scout 17B | Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.17/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.66/1M tokens | - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Scout 17B | Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | 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 rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Llama 4 Scout 17B, reasoning mode: Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning, and structured outputs: Llama 4 Scout 17B. 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Llama 4 Scout 17B has $0.17/1M input tokens and Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning 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 Llama 4 Scout 17B when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning when reasoning depth 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning?
Llama 4 Scout 17B supports 10m tokens, while Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Llama 4 Scout 17B or Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning open source?
Llama 4 Scout 17B is listed under Open Source. Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning 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 multimodal input, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning?
Llama 4 Scout 17B 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 reasoning mode, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning?
Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning?
Llama 4 Scout 17B 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 and Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning?
Llama 4 Scout 17B is available on AWS Bedrock. Phi-4 Mini Flash Reasoning is available on NVIDIA NIM. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.