Llama Guard 3 8B vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

Compare Llama Guard 3 8B and Dolphin 2.9.3 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

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Feature Llama Guard 3 8B Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
CategorySafetyOpen Source
Parameters8B72B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.01/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~60ms~350ms

Choose Llama Guard 3 8B when:

  • ✓ Content moderation
  • ✓ Safety filtering
  • ✓ Input validation
Key Strengths:

Safety classification, Fast, Open weights

Choose Dolphin 2.9.3 72B when:

  • ✓ Creative writing
  • ✓ Unrestricted generation
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Uncensored, Strong instruction following, Versatile

Verdict: Llama Guard 3 8B vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B

For cost efficiency, Llama Guard 3 8B wins at $0.01/1M input tokens. For speed, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is faster at ~350ms. Llama Guard 3 8B excels at Content moderation while Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is better for Creative writing. 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 Guard 3 8B costs $0.01/1M input tokens and $0.02/1M output tokens. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 output. Llama Guard 3 8B is 4.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Llama Guard 3 8B has a 128K context window with ~60ms latency. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama Guard 3 8B (Safety) is optimized for: Content moderation, Safety filtering, Input validation. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source) works best for: Creative writing, Unrestricted generation, 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 Guard 3 8B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-guard-3-8b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="dolphin-2-9-3-72b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama Guard 3 8B or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Llama Guard 3 8B (Safety, 8B) offers Safety classification. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source, 72B) offers Uncensored. Choose Llama Guard 3 8B for Content moderation or Dolphin 2.9.3 72B for Creative writing.

How much does Llama Guard 3 8B cost vs Dolphin 2.9.3 72B?

Llama Guard 3 8B: $0.01/1M input, $0.02/1M output. Dolphin 2.9.3 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 Guard 3 8B and Dolphin 2.9.3 72B 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.