Llama 3.2 11B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct are closely matched at -1.3 and -6.1 on the LLM Stats Score. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 4.0x cheaper per token.
Meta · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at -1.3 and -6.1.
In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is roughly 4.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 4 exact shared results
Choose Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
- cost matters — it's about 4.0x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
11 reported for Llama 3.2 11B Instruct · 15 for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct outperforms in 3 benchmarks (MATH, MGSM, MMLU), while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct ($0.01/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens) is 2.5x more expensive than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct ($0.02/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is more expensive than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct has 7.4B more parameters than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct, making it 230.2% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.2 3B Instruct does not.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under Llama 3.2 Community License.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
Llama 3.2 Community License
Open weights
Llama 3.2 Community License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Both models were released on 2024-09-25.
They likely represent similar generations of model development.
Sep 25, 2024
2.0 years ago
Sep 25, 2024
2.0 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while Llama 3.2 3B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Llama 3.2 11B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Llama 3.2 3B Instruct's cutoff date.
Dec 2023
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Provider Availability
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Sambanova, Bedrock, Groq, Together, Fireworks. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Llama 3.2 11B Instruct and Llama 3.2 3B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.2 11B Instruct vs Llama 3.2 3B Instruct.