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OLMo 2 13B vs SmolLM2 1.7B

A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.

Updated

OLMo 2 13B specs · SmolLM2 1.7B specs
Verdict by category
  • PriceTie

    Neither model publishes per-token API pricing.

  • Context windowSmolLM2 1.7B

    SmolLM2 1.7B accepts 8.2K tokens vs 4.1K, 2.0× 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.

  • OpennessTie

    Both ship open weights, self-host either one.

On balance SmolLM2 1.7B edges ahead, winning 1 of 5 categories against OLMo 2 13B's 0. Neither model publishes per-token API pricing. SmolLM2 1.7B accepts 8.2K tokens vs 4.1K, 2.0× 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. Both ship open weights, self-host either one.

Both shipped within roughly a month of each other in 2024, so they share the same generation of training data and tooling. OLMo 2 13B is usually picked for open source llm and fine tuning workloads, while SmolLM2 1.7B 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

SpecOLMo 2 13BSmolLM2 1.7B
ProviderOtherOther
ReleasedNov 2024Nov 2024
Modalitiestexttext
Context window4.1K tokens8.2K tokens
Max output,,
Input · 1MPricing not publishedPricing not published
Output · 1MPricing not publishedPricing not published
Knowledge cutoff,,
Open weightsYes (Apache-2.0)Yes (Apache-2.0)
API availableNoNo

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, vs ,
  • Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day, vs ,
  • RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day, 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).

Price calculator

Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.

  • OLMo 2 13BPricing unavailable
  • SmolLM2 1.7BPricing unavailable

Benchmarks compared

Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.

Benchmark scores not yet available. We only publish numbers we can source from official model cards or independent leaderboards, see methodology.
Pick OLMo 2 13B if

OLMo 2 13B fits when…

  • Fully reproducible
  • Apache-2.0
  • Research-friendly
Pick SmolLM2 1.7B if

SmolLM2 1.7B fits when…

  • Truly tiny
  • Apache-2.0
  • Runs on phones
  • Long-context tasks, handles 8.2K tokens vs 4.1K for OLMo 2 13B.
Don't want either?

Consider DBRX

Databricks' 132B MoE, a notable 2024 open-weight release tuned for enterprise.

See DBRX specsOLMo 2 13B vs DBRXSmolLM2 1.7B vs DBRX

Frequently asked

  • Is OLMo 2 13B or SmolLM2 1.7B 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?
    SmolLM2 1.7B accepts 8.2K tokens vs 4.1K for OLMo 2 13B.
  • Is OLMo 2 13B or SmolLM2 1.7B better for coding?
    Both OLMo 2 13B and SmolLM2 1.7B 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?
    Both ship with open weights. OLMo 2 13B is licensed under Apache-2.0; SmolLM2 1.7B under Apache-2.0.
  • When were OLMo 2 13B and SmolLM2 1.7B released?
    OLMo 2 13B was released by Other on 2024-11-26. SmolLM2 1.7B was released by Other on 2024-11-01.
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