StarCoder2 15B vs Hermes 3 70B

Compare StarCoder2 15B and Hermes 3 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

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Feature StarCoder2 15B Hermes 3 70B
CategoryCodeOpen Source
Parameters15B70B
Context Window16K128K
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 Hermes 3 70B when:

  • ✓ Agent frameworks
  • ✓ Tool use
  • ✓ Structured output
Key Strengths:

Strong function calling, Community-tuned, Good reasoning

Verdict: StarCoder2 15B vs Hermes 3 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 Hermes 3 70B is better for Agent frameworks. 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. Hermes 3 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. Hermes 3 70B offers 128K context at ~300ms. Hermes 3 70B has the larger context window.

Best For

StarCoder2 15B (Code) is optimized for: Code completion, Code generation, Bug fixing. Hermes 3 70B (Open Source) works best for: Agent frameworks, Tool use, Structured output.

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 Hermes 3 70B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="hermes-3-70b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, StarCoder2 15B or Hermes 3 70B?

StarCoder2 15B (Code, 15B) offers Strong coding. Hermes 3 70B (Open Source, 70B) offers Strong function calling. Choose StarCoder2 15B for Code completion or Hermes 3 70B for Agent frameworks.

How much does StarCoder2 15B cost vs Hermes 3 70B?

StarCoder2 15B: $0.02/1M input, $0.03/1M output. Hermes 3 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 Hermes 3 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.