Llama 3.1 405B vs IBM Granite 3.1 2B

Compare Llama 3.1 405B and IBM Granite 3.1 2B: 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 IBM Granite 3.1 2B
CategoryOpen SourceCompact
Parameters405B2B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.004/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.008/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~30ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

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

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose IBM Granite 3.1 2B when:

  • ✓ Edge enterprise
  • ✓ Compliance-required
  • ✓ Fast classification
Key Strengths:

Enterprise-grade, Tiny, 128K context

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs IBM Granite 3.1 2B

For cost efficiency, IBM Granite 3.1 2B wins at $0.004/1M input tokens. For speed, IBM Granite 3.1 2B is faster at ~30ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while IBM Granite 3.1 2B is better for Edge enterprise. 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. IBM Granite 3.1 2B costs $0.004 input and $0.008 output. IBM Granite 3.1 2B is 20.0x 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. IBM Granite 3.1 2B offers 128K context at ~30ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. IBM Granite 3.1 2B (Compact) works best for: Edge enterprise, Compliance-required, Fast classification.

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 IBM Granite 3.1 2B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="granite-3-1-2b",
    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 IBM Granite 3.1 2B?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. IBM Granite 3.1 2B (Compact, 2B) offers Enterprise-grade. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or IBM Granite 3.1 2B for Edge enterprise.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs IBM Granite 3.1 2B?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. IBM Granite 3.1 2B: $0.004/1M input, $0.008/1M 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 IBM Granite 3.1 2B 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.