GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct leads the LLM Stats Score -1.1 to -9.2. Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is 15.0x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct leads the overall LLM Stats Score -1.1 to -9.2, ranking #321 overall.
In the 6 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct wins 6; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is roughly 15.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo
- you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output
Choose Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
- overall performance matters — it scores -1.1 and ranks #321 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 6 of 6 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 15.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
8 reported for GPT-3.5 Turbo · 11 for Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
GPT-3.5 Turbo outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is better at 6 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MathVista, MGSM, MMLU, MMMU).
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($0.50/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-3.5 Turbo ($1.50/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-3.5 Turbo is more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo's 16,385 tokens. Llama 3.2 11B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-3.5 Turbo is limited to 4,096 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT-3.5 Turbo does not.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-3.5 Turbo is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct uses Llama 3.2 Community License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Llama 3.2 Community License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-3.5 Turbo was released on 2023-03-21, while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is 18 months newer than GPT-3.5 Turbo.
Mar 21, 2023
3.5 years ago
Sep 25, 2024
1.9 years ago
1.5yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-3.5 Turbo has a knowledge cutoff of 2021-09-30, while Llama 3.2 11B Instruct has a cutoff of 2023-12-31.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct has more recent training data (up to 2023-12-31), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-3.5 Turbo (2021-09-30).
Sep 2021
Dec 2023
2.3 yr newerProvider Availability
GPT-3.5 Turbo is available from Azure, OpenAI. Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Sambanova, Bedrock, Groq, Together, Fireworks.
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-3.5 Turbo and Llama 3.2 11B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.