Llama 3.1 405B vs Molmo 72B

Compare Llama 3.1 405B and Molmo 72B: 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 AI2 models What is an LLM API? Python Quickstart What is inference?
Feature Llama 3.1 405B Molmo 72B
CategoryOpen SourceVision
Parameters405B72B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~350ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

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

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose Molmo 72B when:

  • ✓ Visual grounding
  • ✓ Object detection
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Fully open, Good pointing/grounding, Transparent

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs Molmo 72B

For cost efficiency, Molmo 72B wins at $0.04/1M input tokens. For speed, Molmo 72B is faster at ~350ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while Molmo 72B is better for Visual grounding. 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. Molmo 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. Molmo 72B 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. Molmo 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. Molmo 72B (Vision) works best for: Visual grounding, Object detection, Research.

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 Molmo 72B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="molmo-72b",
    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 Molmo 72B?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. Molmo 72B (Vision, 72B) offers Fully open. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or Molmo 72B for Visual grounding.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs Molmo 72B?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. Molmo 72B: $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 Molmo 72B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

Related Comparisons

Llama 3.1 405B vs Vedika Vision 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

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