Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M vs Phi-4 14B
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M (2025) and Phi-4 14B (2024) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Microsoft Research. Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M ships a 512-token context window, while Phi-4 14B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M costs $0.03/1M input tokens versus $0.07/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is ~117% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Phi-4 14B only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M | Phi-4 14B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Classification and JSON / Tool use | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 512 | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.14/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.03/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
- Phi-4 14B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Phi-4 14B 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M
$31.50
Cheapest tracked route: GroqCloud
Phi-4 14B
$87.00
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $55.50. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M and Phi-4 14B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Phi-4 14B is $0.11/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Phi-4 14B and Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is $0.11/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-29 | 2024-12-13 |
| Context window | 512 | — |
| Parameters | 22M | 14B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Llama 3.1 Community | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M | Phi-4 14B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.07/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.14/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M | Phi-4 14B |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M lists $0.03/1M input and $0.03/1M output tokens, while Phi-4 14B lists $0.07/1M input and $0.14/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M lower by about $0.06 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Phi-4 14B when provider fit and broader provider choice 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 is cheaper, Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M or Phi-4 14B?
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M costs $0.03/1M input and $0.03/1M output tokens. Phi-4 14B costs $0.07/1M input and $0.14/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M or Phi-4 14B open source?
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is listed under Llama 3.1 Community. Phi-4 14B is listed under Open Source. 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M or Phi-4 14B?
Both Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M and Phi-4 14B 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M and Phi-4 14B?
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is available on GroqCloud. Phi-4 14B is available on OpenRouter, Fireworks AI, and Microsoft Foundry. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M over Phi-4 14B?
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is ~117% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Phi-4 14B only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Phi-4 14B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-16. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.