Llama 3.1 405B vs Arctic Large

Compare Llama 3.1 405B and Arctic Large: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

All Meta models All Snowflake models What is an LLM API? Python Quickstart What is inference?
Feature Llama 3.1 405B Arctic Large
CategoryOpen SourceEnterprise
Parameters405B480B (17B active)
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.06/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.10/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~400ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

  • ✓ Premium tasks
  • ✓ Research
  • ✓ Fine-tuning base
Key Strengths:

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose Arctic Large when:

  • ✓ Data analysis
  • ✓ SQL generation
  • ✓ Business intelligence
Key Strengths:

Strong SQL, Data analysis, Enterprise features

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs Arctic Large

For cost efficiency, Arctic Large wins at $0.06/1M input tokens. For speed, Arctic Large is faster at ~400ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while Arctic Large is better for Data analysis. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Llama 3.1 405B costs $0.08/1M input tokens and $0.14/1M output tokens. Arctic Large costs $0.06 input and $0.10 output. Arctic Large is 1.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Llama 3.1 405B has a 128K context window with ~600ms latency. Arctic Large offers 128K context at ~400ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. Arctic Large (Enterprise) works best for: Data analysis, SQL generation, Business intelligence.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Llama 3.1 405B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-3-1-405b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Arctic Large
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="arctic-large",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or Arctic Large?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. Arctic Large (Enterprise, 480B (17B active)) offers Strong SQL. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or Arctic Large for Data analysis.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs Arctic Large?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. Arctic Large: $0.06/1M input, $0.10/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Llama 3.1 405B and Arctic Large by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

Related Comparisons

Llama 3.1 405B vs Gemma 3 27B Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 4 Scout Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 4 Maverick Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 3.3 70B Llama 3.1 405B vs Llama 3.1 70B Turbo Llama 3.1 405B vs DeepSeek V3

Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.