StarCoder2 15B vs Code Llama 70B

Compare StarCoder2 15B and Code Llama 70B: 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 BigCode models All Meta models What is an LLM API? Python Quickstart What is inference?
Feature StarCoder2 15B Code Llama 70B
CategoryCodeCode
Parameters15B70B
Context Window16K100K
Input Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.03/1M tokens$0.06/1M tokens
Latency~150ms~300ms

Choose StarCoder2 15B when:

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

Strong coding, 600+ languages, Open weights

Choose Code Llama 70B when:

  • ✓ Large codebases
  • ✓ Code review
  • ✓ Refactoring
Key Strengths:

100K context, Strong coding, Fill-in-middle

Verdict: StarCoder2 15B vs Code Llama 70B

For cost efficiency, StarCoder2 15B wins at $0.02/1M input tokens. For speed, StarCoder2 15B is faster at ~150ms. StarCoder2 15B excels at Code completion while Code Llama 70B is better for Large codebases. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

StarCoder2 15B costs $0.02/1M input tokens and $0.03/1M output tokens. Code Llama 70B costs $0.04 input and $0.06 output. StarCoder2 15B is 2.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

StarCoder2 15B has a 16K context window with ~150ms latency. Code Llama 70B offers 100K context at ~300ms. Code Llama 70B has the larger context window.

Best For

StarCoder2 15B (Code) is optimized for: Code completion, Code generation, Bug fixing. Code Llama 70B (Code) works best for: Large codebases, Code review, Refactoring.

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

# Use Code Llama 70B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="codellama-70b",
    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, StarCoder2 15B or Code Llama 70B?

StarCoder2 15B (Code, 15B) offers Strong coding. Code Llama 70B (Code, 70B) offers 100K context. Choose StarCoder2 15B for Code completion or Code Llama 70B for Large codebases.

How much does StarCoder2 15B cost vs Code Llama 70B?

StarCoder2 15B: $0.02/1M input, $0.03/1M output. Code Llama 70B: $0.04/1M input, $0.06/1M 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 StarCoder2 15B and Code Llama 70B 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.