token.app › Compare › Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Gemini 3.6 Flash

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Gemini 3.6 Flash

Gemini 3.6 Flash leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 52× cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 basis. Gemini 3.6 Flash accepts the larger context window (1.0M).

Head to head
Blended price uses a 3:1 input:output mix
Llama 3.1 8B InstructGemini 3.6 Flash
ProviderMetaGoogle
Input $/1M$0.050$1.50
Output $/1M$0.080$7.50
Blended $/1M$0.058$3.00
Context window131K1.0M
Max output131K66K
ReleasedJul 2024Jul 2026
LicenceOpen weightsProprietary
GPQA Diamond 25.9% 94.1%
OTIS Mock AIME 2.5% 94.2%
Benchmark scores independently run and published by Epoch AI, 'AI Benchmarking Hub', used under CC BY 4.0. Only benchmarks with a score for BOTH models are compared.
Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct if…
  • Costs less per token — $0.058 vs $3.00 blended
  • Open weights — self-hostable
Choose Gemini 3.6 Flash if…
  • Higher GPQA Diamond (94.1% vs 25.9%)
  • Higher OTIS Mock AIME (94.2% vs 2.5%)
  • Larger context window (1.0M)
  • Newer model (released Jul 2026)
FAQ
Which is better, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Across the 2 benchmarks both models have independently-run scores for, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct leads on 0 and Gemini 3.6 Flash leads on 2. Benchmarks are one input — price and context window are on this page too.
Is Llama 3.1 8B Instruct cheaper than Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is cheaper: $0.058 versus $3.00 per million tokens blended at 3:1 input:output. Input alone: $0.050 vs $1.50. Output alone: $0.080 vs $7.50.
What context windows do Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Gemini 3.6 Flash have?
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct: 131,072 tokens. Gemini 3.6 Flash: 1,048,576 tokens.
Who makes Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Gemini 3.6 Flash?
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is made by Meta. Gemini 3.6 Flash is made by Google.
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