Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M vs Qwen3.5-9B
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M (2025) and Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Alibaba. Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M ships a 512-token context window, while Qwen3.5-9B ships a 262K-token context window. On pricing, Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M costs $0.03/1M input tokens versus $0.1/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is ~233% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Qwen3.5-9B only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Classification and JSON / Tool use | RAG, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 512 | 262K |
| Cheapest output | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- 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.
- Qwen3.5-9B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-9B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Qwen3.5-9B uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-9B for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
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
Qwen3.5-9B
$118
Cheapest tracked route: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $86.00. 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 Qwen3.5-9B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen3.5-9B is $0.12/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Qwen3.5-9B adds Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3.5-9B and Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is $0.12/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-29 | 2026-03-02 |
| Context window | 512 | 262K |
| Parameters | 22M | 9B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Llama 3.1 Community | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Qwen3.5-9B, multimodal input: Qwen3.5-9B, function calling: Qwen3.5-9B, and tool use: Qwen3.5-9B. Both models share structured outputs, 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M lists $0.03/1M input and $0.03/1M output tokens, while Qwen3.5-9B lists $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M lower by about $0.08 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 Qwen3.5-9B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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 has a larger context window, Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B supports 262K tokens, while Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M supports 512 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M or Qwen3.5-9B?
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. Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M or Qwen3.5-9B open source?
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is listed under Llama 3.1 Community. Qwen3.5-9B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 Prompt Guard 2 22M or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B 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.
Where can I run Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M and Qwen3.5-9B?
Llama Prompt Guard 2 22M is available on GroqCloud. Qwen3.5-9B is available on Together AI, OpenRouter, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-14. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.