Phi-4 vs StarCoder2 15B

Compare Phi-4 and StarCoder2 15B: 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 Phi-4 StarCoder2 15B
CategoryCompactCode
Parameters14B15B
Context Window16K16K
Input Price$0.01/1M tokens$0.02/1M tokens
Output Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.03/1M tokens
Latency~100ms~150ms

Choose Phi-4 when:

  • ✓ Edge deployments
  • ✓ Cost-sensitive apps
  • ✓ Classification
Key Strengths:

Very compact, Strong reasoning for size, Extremely low cost

Choose StarCoder2 15B when:

  • ✓ Code completion
  • ✓ Code generation
  • ✓ Bug fixing
Key Strengths:

Strong coding, 600+ languages, Open weights

Verdict: Phi-4 vs StarCoder2 15B

For cost efficiency, Phi-4 wins at $0.01/1M input tokens. For speed, Phi-4 is faster at ~100ms. Phi-4 excels at Edge deployments while StarCoder2 15B is better for Code completion. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Phi-4 costs $0.01/1M input tokens and $0.02/1M output tokens. StarCoder2 15B costs $0.02 input and $0.03 output. Phi-4 is 2.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Phi-4 has a 16K context window with ~100ms latency. StarCoder2 15B offers 16K context at ~150ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Phi-4 (Compact) is optimized for: Edge deployments, Cost-sensitive apps, Classification. StarCoder2 15B (Code) works best for: Code completion, Code generation, Bug fixing.

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 Phi-4
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="phi-4",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use StarCoder2 15B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="starcoder2-15b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Phi-4 or StarCoder2 15B?

Phi-4 (Compact, 14B) offers Very compact. StarCoder2 15B (Code, 15B) offers Strong coding. Choose Phi-4 for Edge deployments or StarCoder2 15B for Code completion.

How much does Phi-4 cost vs StarCoder2 15B?

Phi-4: $0.01/1M input, $0.02/1M output. StarCoder2 15B: $0.02/1M input, $0.03/1M 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 Phi-4 and StarCoder2 15B 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.