StarCoder2 15B vs Molmo 72B

Compare StarCoder2 15B 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

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Feature StarCoder2 15B Molmo 72B
CategoryCodeVision
Parameters15B72B
Context Window16K128K
Input Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Output Price$0.03/1M tokens$0.08/1M tokens
Latency~150ms~350ms

Choose StarCoder2 15B when:

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

Strong coding, 600+ languages, Open weights

Choose Molmo 72B when:

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

Fully open, Good pointing/grounding, Transparent

Verdict: StarCoder2 15B vs Molmo 72B

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 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

StarCoder2 15B costs $0.02/1M input tokens and $0.03/1M output tokens. Molmo 72B costs $0.04 input and $0.08 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. Molmo 72B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Molmo 72B has the larger context window.

Best For

StarCoder2 15B (Code) is optimized for: Code completion, Code generation, Bug fixing. 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 StarCoder2 15B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="starcoder2-15b",
    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

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, StarCoder2 15B or Molmo 72B?

StarCoder2 15B (Code, 15B) offers Strong coding. Molmo 72B (Vision, 72B) offers Fully open. Choose StarCoder2 15B for Code completion or Molmo 72B for Visual grounding.

How much does StarCoder2 15B cost vs Molmo 72B?

StarCoder2 15B: $0.02/1M input, $0.03/1M 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 StarCoder2 15B and Molmo 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.