Llama 3 70B Instruct vs Llama 3.1 405B
Llama 3 70B Instruct (2024) and Llama 3.1 405B (2024) are compact production models from AI at Meta. Llama 3 70B Instruct ships a 8k-token context window, while Llama 3.1 405B ships a 128k-token context window. On HumanEval, Llama 3.1 405B leads by 16.4 pts. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Llama 3.1 405B fits 16x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Llama 3 70B Instruct for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 3 70B Instruct | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | general production evaluation |
| Decision fit | Coding, Classification, and JSON / Tool use | Coding, Long context, and Classification |
| Context window | 8k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $0.40/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 18 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 2 rows | HumanEval leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 3 70B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 3 70B Instruct for Coding, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
- Llama 3.1 405B holds a shared-benchmark lead on HumanEval, ahead by 16.4 points.
- Llama 3.1 405B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Llama 3.1 405B for Coding, Long context, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 3 70B Instruct
$420
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Hyperbolic AI Inference
Llama 3.1 405B
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 3 70B Instruct and Llama 3.1 405B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama 3.1 405B and Llama 3 70B Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama 3 70B Instruct adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-04-18 | 2024-07-23 |
| Context window | 8k | 128k |
| Parameters | 70B | 405B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Llama 3 Community | Llama 3 Community |
| Openness | Open weights | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-12 | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 3 70B Instruct | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.40/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.40/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 3 70B Instruct | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| 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
| Benchmark | Llama 3 70B Instruct | Llama 3.1 405B |
|---|---|---|
| HumanEval | 72.6 | 89.0 |
| Massive Multitask Language Understanding | 82.0 | 88.6 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, HumanEval has Llama 3 70B Instruct at 72.6 and Llama 3.1 405B at 89, with Llama 3.1 405B ahead by 16.4 points; Massive Multitask Language Understanding has Llama 3 70B Instruct at 82 and Llama 3.1 405B at 88.6, with Llama 3.1 405B ahead by 6.6 points. The largest visible gap is 16.4 points on HumanEval, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on structured outputs: Llama 3 70B Instruct. 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 3 70B Instruct has $0.40/1M input tokens and Llama 3.1 405B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 18 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Llama 3 70B Instruct when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Llama 3.1 405B when long-context analysis and larger context windows are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Llama 3 70B Instruct or Llama 3.1 405B?
Llama 3.1 405B supports 128k tokens, while Llama 3 70B Instruct supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Llama 3 70B Instruct or Llama 3.1 405B open source?
Llama 3 70B Instruct is listed under Llama 3 Community. Llama 3.1 405B is listed under Llama 3 Community. 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 3 70B Instruct or Llama 3.1 405B?
Llama 3 70B Instruct 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 3 70B Instruct and Llama 3.1 405B?
Llama 3 70B Instruct is available on GCP Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, Microsoft Foundry, NVIDIA NIM, and DeepInfra. Llama 3.1 405B is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama 3 70B Instruct over Llama 3.1 405B?
Llama 3.1 405B fits 16x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Llama 3 70B Instruct for tighter calls. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama 3 70B Instruct; if it depends on long-context analysis, run the same evaluation with Llama 3.1 405B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.