Command R (08-2024) vs Yi-Lightning
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
- PriceYi-Lightning
Yi-Lightning is roughly 4.3× cheaper on output tokens ($0.14 vs $0.60 per 1M).
- Context windowCommand R (08-2024)
Command R (08-2024) accepts 128K tokens vs 16K, 8.0× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksTie
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores.
- ModalitiesTie
Both handle text.
- OpennessCommand R (08-2024)
Command R (08-2024) ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0); Yi-Lightning is API-only.
On balance Command R (08-2024) edges ahead, winning 2 of 5 categories against Yi-Lightning's 1. Yi-Lightning is roughly 4.3× cheaper on output tokens ($0.14 vs $0.60 per 1M). Command R (08-2024) accepts 128K tokens vs 16K, 8.0× the room for long documents and codebases.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. Both target the same set of modalities (text), so the deciding factors are price, context, and raw quality. Command R (08-2024) ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0); Yi-Lightning is API-only.
Yi-Lightning is the newer of the two, released 2 months after Command R (08-2024), which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. Command R (08-2024) is usually picked for rag and multilingual workloads, while Yi-Lightning sees more deployments in chinese llm and cheapest llm. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Command R (08-2024) | Yi-Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Cohere | Other |
| Released | Aug 2024 | Oct 2024 |
| Modalities | text | text |
| Context window | 128K tokens | 16K tokens |
| Max output | , | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.15 / 1M tokens | $0.14 / 1M tokens |
| Output · 1M | $0.60 / 1M tokens | $0.14 / 1M tokens |
| Knowledge cutoff | , | , |
| Open weights | Yes (CC-BY-NC 4.0) | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
Pricing at scale
What you'd actually pay at typical workloads. Numbers come from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day$1.35 vs $0.630
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$13.50 vs $6.30
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$26.10 vs $21.84
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: $1.35 vs $0.630 per month, model B comes out ahead. Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: $13.50 vs $6.30 per month, model B comes out ahead. RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: $26.10 vs $21.84 per month, model B comes out ahead.
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Command R (08-2024)$0.045
- Yi-Lightning$0.021
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
Command R (08-2024) fits when…
- Improved tool-use
- Strong multilingual
- Long-context tasks, handles 128K tokens vs 16K for Yi-Lightning.
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0).
Yi-Lightning fits when…
- Cheap
- Strong Chinese
- Fast
- Cost-sensitive workloads, 4.3× cheaper than Command R (08-2024) on output tokens.
Consider Command R+ (08-2024)
Cohere's flagship optimized for RAG and tool use in enterprise settings.
Frequently asked
Is Command R (08-2024) or Yi-Lightning cheaper?
Yi-Lightning is cheaper at $0.14 / 1M tokens per million output tokens, vs $0.60 / 1M tokens for Command R (08-2024).Which has the larger context window?
Command R (08-2024) accepts 128K tokens vs 16K for Yi-Lightning.Is Command R (08-2024) or Yi-Lightning better for coding?
Both Command R (08-2024) and Yi-Lightning are competitive on coding benchmarks. See each model's individual spec page for HumanEval and SWE-bench scores where published. For an opinionated pick, consult our Best LLM for Coding ranking.Are either of these models open source?
Command R (08-2024) ships open weights (CC-BY-NC 4.0). Yi-Lightning is API-only.When were Command R (08-2024) and Yi-Lightning released?
Command R (08-2024) was released by Cohere on 2024-08-30. Yi-Lightning was released by Other on 2024-10-16.
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