GPT-5 nano vs Llama 4 8B
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
GPT-5 nano specs · Llama 4 8B specs- PriceGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano publishes pricing ($0.40 / 1M output tokens) while Llama 4 8B does not.
- Context windowGPT-5 nano
GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× 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-5 nano
GPT-5 nano supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Llama 4 8B.
- OpennessLlama 4 8B
Llama 4 8B ships open weights (Llama 4 Community License); GPT-5 nano is API-only.
On balance GPT-5 nano edges ahead, winning 3 of 5 categories against Llama 4 8B's 1. GPT-5 nano publishes pricing ($0.40 / 1M output tokens) while Llama 4 8B does not. GPT-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K, 3.1× 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-5 nano handles text, vision while Llama 4 8B handles text, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Llama 4 8B ships open weights (Llama 4 Community License); GPT-5 nano is API-only.
GPT-5 nano is the newer of the two, released 4 months after Llama 4 8B, which usually means a more recent knowledge cutoff and updated safety post-training. GPT-5 nano is usually picked for cheapest llm and fastest llm workloads, while Llama 4 8B sees more deployments in local llm and on device. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | GPT-5 nano | Llama 4 8B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Meta |
| Released | Aug 2025 | Apr 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text |
| Context window | 400K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | 128K tokens | , |
| Input · 1M | $0.050 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Output · 1M | $0.40 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-09 | , |
| Open weights | No | Yes (Llama 4 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$0.750 vs ,
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$7.50 vs ,
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$9.90 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-5 nano$0.025
- Llama 4 8BPricing unavailable
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
GPT-5 nano fits when…
- Lowest-cost OpenAI model with vision support
- Fast P99 latency
- Good enough for routing and classification
- Long-context tasks, handles 400K tokens vs 128K for Llama 4 8B.
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
Llama 4 8B fits when…
- Runs on consumer laptops
- Broad tooling support
- Apache-2-adjacent permissiveness for most uses
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (Llama 4 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-5 nano or Llama 4 8B 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-5 nano accepts 400K tokens vs 128K for Llama 4 8B.Is GPT-5 nano or Llama 4 8B better for coding?
Both GPT-5 nano and Llama 4 8B 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 4 8B ships open weights (Llama 4 Community License). GPT-5 nano is API-only.When were GPT-5 nano and Llama 4 8B released?
GPT-5 nano was released by OpenAI on 2025-08-07. Llama 4 8B was released by Meta on 2025-04-05.
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