Llama Guard 2 8B vs Nemotron 4 340B
Llama Guard 2 8B (2024) and Nemotron 4 340B (2025) are compact production models from AI at Meta and NVIDIA AI. Llama Guard 2 8B ships a 8k-token context window, while Nemotron 4 340B ships a 4k-token context window. On pricing, Llama Guard 2 8B costs $0.05/1M input tokens versus $4.20/1M 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 Guard 2 8B is ~8300% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Nemotron 4 340B only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama Guard 2 8B | Nemotron 4 340B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Classification | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 8k | 4k |
| Cheapest output | $0.25/1M tokens | $4.20/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama Guard 2 8B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama Guard 2 8B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.25/1M tokens.
- Llama Guard 2 8B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Llama Guard 2 8B for Classification.
- Nemotron 4 340B uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 4 340B for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama Guard 2 8B
$103
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Nemotron 4 340B
$4,410
Cheapest tracked route/tier: DeepInfra
Estimated monthly gap: $4,308. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama Guard 2 8B and Nemotron 4 340B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Nemotron 4 340B is $3.95/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Nemotron 4 340B adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Nemotron 4 340B and Llama Guard 2 8B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama Guard 2 8B is $3.95/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-04-18 | 2025-02-27 |
| Context window | 8k | 4k |
| Parameters | 8B | 340B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Llama 2 Community | NVIDIA Open Model |
| Openness | Open weights | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-03 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama Guard 2 8B | Nemotron 4 340B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.05/1M tokens | $4.20/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.25/1M tokens | $4.20/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama Guard 2 8B | Nemotron 4 340B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| 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: Nemotron 4 340B. 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 Guard 2 8B lists $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Nemotron 4 340B lists $4.20/1M input and $4.20/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama Guard 2 8B lower by about $4.09 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama Guard 2 8B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron 4 340B 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Llama Guard 2 8B or Nemotron 4 340B?
Llama Guard 2 8B supports 8k tokens, while Nemotron 4 340B supports 4k 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 Guard 2 8B or Nemotron 4 340B?
Llama Guard 2 8B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama Guard 2 8B costs $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens. Nemotron 4 340B costs $4.20/1M input and $4.20/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama Guard 2 8B or Nemotron 4 340B open source?
Llama Guard 2 8B is listed under Llama 2 Community. Nemotron 4 340B 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 structured outputs, Llama Guard 2 8B or Nemotron 4 340B?
Nemotron 4 340B 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 Guard 2 8B and Nemotron 4 340B?
Llama Guard 2 8B is available on Fireworks AI, OctoAI API (Deprecated), and Replicate API. Nemotron 4 340B is available on NVIDIA NIM and DeepInfra. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama Guard 2 8B over Nemotron 4 340B?
Llama Guard 2 8B is ~8300% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Nemotron 4 340B only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on long-context analysis, start with Llama Guard 2 8B; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Nemotron 4 340B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.