Model Comparison

Grok-2 vs Llama 3.2 3B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 320.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok-2 vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct — which is better?

Grok-2 (by xAI) and Llama 3.2 3B 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.

Grok-2 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is roughly 320.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Grok-2 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks

Choose Llama 3.2 3B Instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 320.0x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Grok-2 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Jul 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct costs less

For input processing, Grok-2 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 200.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct ($0.01/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-2 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 500.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct ($0.02/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-2 is more expensive than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Jul 13 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-2
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerxAI
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Input tokens$0.01
Output tokens$0.02
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Grok-2 is limited to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mon Jul 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-2 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.2 3B Instruct does not.

Grok-2 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Grok-2

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct uses Llama 3.2 Community License.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok-2

Proprietary

Closed source

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Llama 3.2 Community License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 was released on 2024-08-13, while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 1 month newer than Grok-2.

Grok-2

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Sep 25, 2024

1.8 years ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Grok-2 is available from xAI. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.

Grok-2

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.01/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.02/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (56.0% vs 32.8%)
Higher MATH score (76.1% vs 48.0%)
Higher MMLU score (87.5% vs 63.4%)
Meta
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2
✓ Preferred
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct.

Which is better, Grok-2 or Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 is made by xAI and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is made by Meta. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-2 compare to Llama 3.2 3B Instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-2 scores DocVQA: 93.6%, HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, MATH: 76.1%, MMLU-Pro: 75.5%. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct scores NIH/Multi-needle: 84.7%, ARC-C: 78.6%, GSM8k: 77.7%, IFEval: 77.4%, HellaSwag: 69.8%.

Is Grok-2 cheaper than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 200.0x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-2 costs $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output via xai. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct costs $0.01/M input and $0.02/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Grok-2 supports 128K tokens and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-2 and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Key differences include input pricing ($2.00 vs $0.01/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Llama 3.2 Community License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct?

Grok-2 is developed by xAI and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is developed by Meta.

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