Llama 3.1 405B vs DBRX

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

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

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Feature Llama 3.1 405B DBRX
CategoryOpen SourceEnterprise
Parameters405B132B (36B active)
Context Window128K32K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~300ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

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

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose DBRX when:

  • ✓ Data pipelines
  • ✓ Analytics
  • ✓ Enterprise workflows
Key Strengths:

MoE efficient, Good for data, Enterprise-grade

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs DBRX

For cost efficiency, DBRX wins at $0.04/1M input tokens. For speed, DBRX is faster at ~300ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while DBRX is better for Data pipelines. 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. DBRX costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. DBRX is 2.0x 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. DBRX offers 32K context at ~300ms. Llama 3.1 405B has the larger context window.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. DBRX (Enterprise) works best for: Data pipelines, Analytics, Enterprise workflows.

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 DBRX
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="dbrx",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or DBRX?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. DBRX (Enterprise, 132B (36B active)) offers MoE efficient. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or DBRX for Data pipelines.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs DBRX?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. DBRX: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M 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 DBRX by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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