GPT-4o vs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
GPT-4o leads the LLM Stats Score 14.1 to -2.6. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 194.4x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4o leads the overall LLM Stats Score 14.1 to -2.6, ranking #245 overall.
In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-4o wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is roughly 194.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (131,072 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-4o
- overall performance matters — it scores 14.1 and ranks #245 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 4 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024
Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
- cost matters — it's about 194.4x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
- 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
38 reported for GPT-4o · 18 for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
GPT-4o outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GPQA, IFEval, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-4o 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-4o ($2.50/1M tokens) is 125.0x more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.02/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4o ($10.00/1M tokens) is 333.3x more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4o is more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to GPT-4o's 128,000 tokens. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while GPT-4o is limited to 16,384 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-4o supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.1 8B Instruct does not.
GPT-4o can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4o
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4o is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 3.1 8B 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-4o was released on 2024-08-06, while Llama 3.1 8B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.
GPT-4o is 0 month newer than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.
Aug 6, 2024
2.1 years ago
2w newerJul 23, 2024
2.2 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while GPT-4o's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Llama 3.1 8B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without GPT-4o's cutoff date.
—
Dec 2023
Provider Availability
GPT-4o is available from Azure, OpenAI. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Lambda, Groq, Sambanova, Cerebras, Hyperbolic, Together, Fireworks, Bedrock.
GPT-4o
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4o and Llama 3.1 8B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4o vs Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.