Llama Guard 4 12B vs Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2
Llama Guard 4 12B (2025) and Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 (2025) are general-purpose language models from AI at Meta and NVIDIA AI. Llama Guard 4 12B ships a 164K-token context window, while Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 costs $0.04/1M input tokens versus $0.18/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 is ~350% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Llama Guard 4 12B only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama Guard 4 12B | Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 164K | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.18/1M tokens | $0.16/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama Guard 4 12B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama Guard 4 12B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Llama Guard 4 12B for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.16/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Llama Guard 4 12B
$189
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2
$72.00
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $117. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on NVIDIA NIM and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 is $0.02/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Provider overlap exists on NVIDIA NIM and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama Guard 4 12B is $0.02/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2025-08-18 |
| Context window | 164K | — |
| Parameters | — | 9B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2025-03 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama Guard 4 12B | Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.18/1M tokens | $0.04/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.18/1M tokens | $0.16/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama Guard 4 12B | Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint is close: both models cover structured outputs. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Llama Guard 4 12B lists $0.18/1M input and $0.18/1M output tokens, while Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 lists $0.04/1M input and $0.16/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 lower by about $0.1 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama Guard 4 12B when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 when provider fit and lower input-token cost 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
Which is cheaper, Llama Guard 4 12B or Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2?
Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama Guard 4 12B costs $0.18/1M input and $0.18/1M output tokens. Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 costs $0.04/1M input and $0.16/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama Guard 4 12B or Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 open source?
Llama Guard 4 12B is listed under Open Source. Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 is listed under Unknown. 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 4 12B or Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2?
Both Llama Guard 4 12B and Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Llama Guard 4 12B and Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2?
Llama Guard 4 12B is available on NVIDIA NIM, Replicate API, and OpenRouter. Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 is available on NVIDIA NIM and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama Guard 4 12B over Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2?
Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 is ~350% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Llama Guard 4 12B only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama Guard 4 12B; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.