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Model Comparison

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct vs Phi-3.5-mini-instructWhich is better in 2026?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 8.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Llama 3.2 3B Instruct vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct — which is better?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct (by Meta) and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (by Microsoft) 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.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HellaSwag, MGSM), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (ARC-C, GSM8k, MATH, MMLU). Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is roughly 8.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Llama 3.2 3B Instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 8.0x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024

Choose Phi-3.5-mini-instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 7 shared benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

7 benchmarks

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HellaSwag, MGSM), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (ARC-C, GSM8k, MATH, MMLU).

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Fri Aug 07 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, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct ($0.01/1M tokens) is 10.0x cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct ($0.02/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct 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
Fri Aug 07 2026 • llm-stats.com
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Input tokens$0.01
Output tokens$0.02
Best providerDeepinfra
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

590.0M diff

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has 0.6B more parameters than Llama 3.2 3B Instruct, making it 18.4% larger.

Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
3.2Bparameters
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
3.8Bparameters
3.2B
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
3.8B
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

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.

Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Fri Aug 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.2 Community License, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct uses MIT.

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

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Llama 3.2 Community License

Open weights

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 1 month newer than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

Sep 25, 2024

1.9 years ago

1mo newer
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

2.0 years ago

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

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is available from DeepInfra. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.01/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.02/1M

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Meta
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (32.8% vs 30.4%)
Higher HellaSwag score (69.8% vs 69.4%)
Higher MGSM score (58.2% vs 47.9%)
Microsoft
Higher ARC-C score (84.6% vs 78.6%)
Higher GSM8k score (86.2% vs 77.7%)
Higher MATH score (48.5% vs 48.0%)
Higher MMLU score (69.0% vs 63.4%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Llama 3.2 3B Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Meta
Llama 3.2 3B Instruct
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Llama 3.2 3B Instruct vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Which is better, Llama 3.2 3B Instruct or Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is made by Meta and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Llama 3.2 3B Instruct compare to Phi-3.5-mini-instruct in benchmarks?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct scores NIH/Multi-needle: 84.7%, ARC-C: 78.6%, GSM8k: 77.7%, IFEval: 77.4%, HellaSwag: 69.8%. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct scores GSM8k: 86.2%, ARC-C: 84.6%, RULER: 84.1%, PIQA: 81.0%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%.

Is Llama 3.2 3B Instruct cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is 10.0x cheaper for input tokens. Llama 3.2 3B Instruct costs $0.01/M input and $0.02/M output via deepinfra. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Llama 3.2 3B Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct supports 128K tokens and Phi-3.5-mini-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 Llama 3.2 3B Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Key differences include input pricing ($0.01 vs $0.10/M), licensing (Llama 3.2 Community License vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Llama 3.2 3B Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Llama 3.2 3B Instruct is developed by Meta and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

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