Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Nova 2 Sonic
Nova 2 Sonic leads the LLM Stats Score 9.2 to -2.5. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 31.2x cheaper per token.
Meta · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Nova 2 Sonic leads the overall LLM Stats Score 9.2 to -2.5, ranking #260 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is roughly 31.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Nova 2 Sonic also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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 Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 31.2x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Nova 2 Sonic
- overall performance matters — it scores 9.2 and ranks #260 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
18 reported for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct · 4 for Nova 2 Sonic
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct outperforms in 1 benchmarks (BFCL), while Nova 2 Sonic is better at 0 benchmarks.
Llama 3.1 8B 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, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens) is 11.0x cheaper than Nova 2 Sonic ($0.33/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens) is 91.7x cheaper than Nova 2 Sonic ($2.75/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Nova 2 Sonic 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
Nova 2 Sonic accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Llama 3.1 8B Instruct's 131,072 tokens. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Nova 2 Sonic is limited to 65,536 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Nova 2 Sonic supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.1 8B Instruct does not.
Nova 2 Sonic can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Nova 2 Sonic
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.1 Community License, while Nova 2 Sonic uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Llama 3.1 Community License
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23, while Nova 2 Sonic was released on 2025-12-02.
Nova 2 Sonic is 17 months newer than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.
Jul 23, 2024
2.1 years ago
Dec 2, 2025
9 months ago
1.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while Nova 2 Sonic'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 Nova 2 Sonic's cutoff date.
Dec 2023
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Provider Availability
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is available from Lambda, DeepInfra, Groq, Sambanova, Cerebras, Hyperbolic, Together, Fireworks, Bedrock. Nova 2 Sonic is available from Bedrock.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Nova 2 Sonic
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Nova 2 Sonic side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Nova 2 Sonic.