GPT-4.1 vs Llama 3.2 3B
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
GPT-4.1 specs · Llama 3.2 3B specs- PriceGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 publishes pricing ($8.00 / 1M output tokens) while Llama 3.2 3B does not.
- Context windowGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K, 7.8× 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.
- ModalitiesGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Llama 3.2 3B.
- OpennessLlama 3.2 3B
Llama 3.2 3B ships open weights (Llama 3 Community License); GPT-4.1 is API-only.
On balance GPT-4.1 edges ahead, winning 3 of 5 categories against Llama 3.2 3B's 1. GPT-4.1 publishes pricing ($8.00 / 1M output tokens) while Llama 3.2 3B does not. GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K, 7.8× the room for long documents and codebases.
No directly comparable public benchmarks are available for both models, check the spec sheets for individual scores. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-4.1 handles text, vision while Llama 3.2 3B handles text, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Llama 3.2 3B ships open weights (Llama 3 Community License); GPT-4.1 is API-only.
GPT-4.1 is the newer of the two, released 7 months after Llama 3.2 3B, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. GPT-4.1 is usually picked for long context and rag workloads, while Llama 3.2 3B sees more deployments in on device and edge deployment. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | GPT-4.1 | Llama 3.2 3B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Meta |
| Released | Apr 2025 | Sep 2024 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text |
| Context window | 1M tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | 32.8K tokens | , |
| Input · 1M | $2.00 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Output · 1M | $8.00 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-06 | , |
| Open weights | No | Yes (Llama 3 Community License) |
| 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$18.00 vs ,
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$180 vs ,
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$348 vs ,
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates).
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- GPT-4.1$0.600
- Llama 3.2 3BPricing unavailable
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU86.2
- HumanEval90.6
GPT-4.1 fits when…
- 1M-token context window, strong for long-doc workloads
- Mature SDK and tooling integrations
- Reliable JSON-mode and function-calling
- Long-context tasks, handles 1M tokens vs 128K for Llama 3.2 3B.
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
Llama 3.2 3B fits when…
- Runs on phones
- 128k context for its size
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (Llama 3 Community License).
Consider GPT-5.5
OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.
Frequently asked
Is GPT-4.1 or Llama 3.2 3B cheaper?
Per-token pricing isn't published for at least one of these models, check each model's spec page for current rates.Which has the larger context window?
GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K for Llama 3.2 3B.Is GPT-4.1 or Llama 3.2 3B better for coding?
Both GPT-4.1 and Llama 3.2 3B 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?
Llama 3.2 3B ships open weights (Llama 3 Community License). GPT-4.1 is API-only.When were GPT-4.1 and Llama 3.2 3B released?
GPT-4.1 was released by OpenAI on 2025-04-14. Llama 3.2 3B was released by Meta on 2024-09-25.
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