Llama 3 8B Instruct vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B
Llama 3 8B Instruct (2024) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B (2025) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Alibaba. Llama 3 8B Instruct ships a 8k-token context window, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Llama 3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input tokens versus $0.10/1M 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 3 8B Instruct is ~225% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 3 8B Instruct | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, Classification, and JSON / Tool use | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.04/1M tokens | $0.78/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 17 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 3 8B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 3 8B Instruct has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.04/1M tokens.
- Llama 3 8B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Llama 3 8B Instruct for Coding, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B 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 3 8B Instruct
$34.00
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B
$273
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $239. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is $0.74/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, and Novita AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 3 8B Instruct is $0.74/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-04-18 | 2025-12-01 |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Parameters | 8B | 80B (3B active) |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Llama 3 Community | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-03 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 3 8B Instruct | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.04/1M tokens | $0.78/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 3 8B Instruct | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 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 3 8B Instruct lists $0.03/1M input and $0.04/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B lists $0.10/1M input and $0.78/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 3 8B Instruct lower by about $0.27 per million blended tokens. Availability is 17 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 3 8B Instruct when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B 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 is cheaper, Llama 3 8B Instruct or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Llama 3 8B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input and $0.04/1M output tokens. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B costs $0.10/1M input and $0.78/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama 3 8B Instruct or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B open source?
Llama 3 8B Instruct is listed under Llama 3 Community. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B 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 structured outputs, Llama 3 8B Instruct or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Both Llama 3 8B Instruct and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B 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 3 8B Instruct and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Llama 3 8B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock, DeepInfra, OctoAI API (Deprecated), Fireworks AI, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is available on AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, Venice AI, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama 3 8B Instruct over Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Llama 3 8B Instruct is ~225% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama 3 8B Instruct; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.