Llama 3.1 405B vs Grok 3 Mini

Compare Llama 3.1 405B and Grok 3 Mini: 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 xAI models What is an LLM API? Python Quickstart What is inference?
Feature Llama 3.1 405B Grok 3 Mini
CategoryOpen SourceCompact
Parameters405B~70B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.03/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~200ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

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

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose Grok 3 Mini when:

  • ✓ Fast queries
  • ✓ Temple chatbots
  • ✓ General Q&A
Key Strengths:

Cost-efficient, Good reasoning, Fast

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs Grok 3 Mini

For cost efficiency, Grok 3 Mini wins at $0.03/1M input tokens. For speed, Grok 3 Mini is faster at ~200ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while Grok 3 Mini is better for Fast queries. 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. Grok 3 Mini costs $0.03 input and $0.08 output. Grok 3 Mini is 2.7x 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. Grok 3 Mini offers 128K context at ~200ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. Grok 3 Mini (Compact) works best for: Fast queries, Temple chatbots, General Q&A.

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 Grok 3 Mini
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="grok-3-mini",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or Grok 3 Mini?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. Grok 3 Mini (Compact, ~70B) offers Cost-efficient. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or Grok 3 Mini for Fast queries.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs Grok 3 Mini?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. Grok 3 Mini: $0.03/1M 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 Grok 3 Mini 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.