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Head-to-head comparison

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Meta) and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct (Meta) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 6 November 2026

As of 6 November 2026, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#306 vs #339); and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 4.2× cheaper per output token ($0.08/1M vs $0.335/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #306 against #339 (13.3 vs 8.1 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.08/1M output tokens against $0.335/1M, about 4.2× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.05/1M against $0.051/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 4 listed API providers against 2.
  • Arena text is your yardstick — 1211 against 1167.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1259 against 1176.
  • BFCL V4 is your yardstick — 25.8 against 22.0.

Choose Llama 3.2 3B Instruct if…

  • you want the more recently listed model — Llama 3.2 3B Instruct was listed 25 September 2024, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct 23 July 2024.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
FieldLlama 3.1 8B InstructMetaLlama 3.2 3B InstructMeta
ModelCap Index position#306#339
Index score13.38.1
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05$0.051
Output price / 1M tokens$0.08$0.335
Context window131K tokens131K tokens
Declared route output cap118K72K
API providers listed42
Weight accessGated accessGated access
Input modalitiesTextText
First listed23 July 202425 September 2024
PublisherMetaMeta

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Public benchmark boards where Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Llama 3.2 3B Instruct has a published result
BoardLlama 3.1 8B InstructLlama 3.2 3B InstructLeads
Arena textArena (LMArena)12111207–1215Not reported11671159–1175Not reportedLlama 3.1 8B Instruct
Arena codingArena (LMArena)12591252–126711761160–1193Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)25.8Prompt22.0Function callingLlama 3.1 8B Instruct

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct: common questions

Is Llama 3.1 8B Instruct better than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 6 November 2026: #306 against #339. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is Llama 3.1 8B Instruct cheaper than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is cheaper on output tokens: $0.08/1M against $0.335/1M. Input tokens are $0.05/1M for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and $0.051/1M for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $0.14 for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct versus $0.27 for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct costs 48.0% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Both publish a 131K-token context window. OpenRouter catalogue or provider-endpoint declaration. Limits can vary by provider and prompt length; a model-wide maximum has not been independently verified.

Which is better for coding, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Arena coding: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct 1259, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct 1176 — Llama 3.1 8B Instruct leads.

Are Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct open-weight models?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct: Gated access. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct: Gated access. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence. A missing weight link does not identify every API or chat product that offers a model.

Where can I run Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

ModelCap currently lists 4 API providers for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and 2 for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct comparison?

Every figure and ModelCap Index position comes from the same published snapshot dated 6 November 2026. Publication and page updates happen separately; use the snapshot date shown on the page.

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