Model Comparison
GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Llama 3.1 70B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Llama 3.1 70B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 3.1 70B Instruct is 3.8x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Llama 3.1 70B Instruct — which is better?
GPT-3.5 Turbo (by OpenAI) and Llama 3.1 70B Instruct (by Meta) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Llama 3.1 70B Instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (DROP, GPQA, HumanEval, MMLU). Llama 3.1 70B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 3.1 70B Instruct is roughly 3.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Llama 3.1 70B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output
Choose Llama 3.1 70B Instruct if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 3.8x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2024
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Llama 3.1 70B Instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (DROP, GPQA, HumanEval, MMLU).
Llama 3.1 70B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 2.5x more expensive than Llama 3.1 70B Instruct ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 7.5x more expensive than Llama 3.1 70B Instruct ($0.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-3.5 Turbo is more expensive than Llama 3.1 70B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Llama 3.1 70B Instruct accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Llama 3.1 70B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-3.5 Turbo is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 3.1 70B Instruct uses Llama 3.1 Community License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Llama 3.1 Community License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while Llama 3.1 70B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.
Llama 3.1 70B Instruct is 16 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.
Mar 21, 2023
3.2 years ago
Jul 23, 2024
1.9 years ago
1.3yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-3.5 Turbo has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while Llama 3.1 70B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-3.5 Turbo's training data extends to 2021-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Llama 3.1 70B Instruct's cutoff date.
Sep 2021
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Provider Availability
GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. Llama 3.1 70B Instruct is available from Lambda, DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Groq, Cerebras, Together, Fireworks, Bedrock, Sambanova.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Llama 3.1 70B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Llama 3.1 70B Instruct.