StarCoder2 15B vs StarCoder2 7B

Compare StarCoder2 15B and StarCoder2 7B: 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 StarCoder2 7B
CategoryCodeCode
Parameters15B7B
Context Window16K16K
Input Price$0.02/1M tokens$0.008/1M tokens
Output Price$0.03/1M tokens$0.015/1M tokens
Latency~150ms~60ms

Choose StarCoder2 15B when:

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

Strong coding, 600+ languages, Open weights

Choose StarCoder2 7B when:

  • ✓ Code completion
  • ✓ Quick generation
  • ✓ Editor integration
Key Strengths:

Open weights, Many languages, Fast

Verdict: StarCoder2 15B vs StarCoder2 7B

For cost efficiency, StarCoder2 7B wins at $0.008/1M input tokens. For speed, StarCoder2 15B is faster at ~150ms. StarCoder2 15B excels at Code completion while StarCoder2 7B 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

StarCoder2 15B costs $0.02/1M input tokens and $0.03/1M output tokens. StarCoder2 7B costs $0.008 input and $0.015 output. StarCoder2 7B is 2.5x 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. StarCoder2 7B offers 16K context at ~60ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

StarCoder2 15B (Code) is optimized for: Code completion, Code generation, Bug fixing. StarCoder2 7B (Code) works best for: Code completion, Quick generation, Editor integration.

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 StarCoder2 7B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="starcoder2-7b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, StarCoder2 15B or StarCoder2 7B?

StarCoder2 15B (Code, 15B) offers Strong coding. StarCoder2 7B (Code, 7B) offers Open weights. Choose StarCoder2 15B for Code completion or StarCoder2 7B for Code completion.

How much does StarCoder2 15B cost vs StarCoder2 7B?

StarCoder2 15B: $0.02/1M input, $0.03/1M output. StarCoder2 7B: $0.008/1M input, $0.015/1M 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 StarCoder2 7B 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.