Analysis Summary
Meta's Llama 3.1 405B base is a very large text-only model with a 32K context window. The supplied measurements show stronger reasoning and coding signals than the smaller Llama variants, but this is a base model rather than an instruction-tuned assistant. Pricing is $4 per million input and output tokens, and no tool or function-calling features are listed.
It may be useful for specialist fine-tuning, controlled generation, or teams operating their own model stack. Direct use in client workflows is less attractive because base models generally require additional prompting, adaptation, and output controls. The shorter context and high cost further reduce its practical appeal for document-heavy or high-volume tasks. Select it only where customization is a core requirement and evaluation resources are available.
Assessed September 7, 2026
Editorial notes
Llama 3.1 405B is a large text model with measured general reasoning and coding signals, but its 32K context, high price, and base rather than instruction-tuned format limit direct workflow use.
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DFO Verdict
Llama 3.1 405B is a large text model with measured general reasoning and coding signals, but its 32K context, high price, and base rather than instruction-tuned format limit direct workflow use.
Benchmark scores
Magenta = intelligence · Ink = technical/agentic · Cyan = content & long-context · Grey = community benchmarks. Data: Artificial Analysis, Hugging Face.
8.5 Intelligence Index·12.9 Agentic Index·3 Math Index
How Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) compares
Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) ranks #271 of 438 AI models we track for overall intelligence, #110 of 192 for agentic tasks. Its 33K-token context window is larger than 25% of the models we list. At $4.00 per million input tokens it is cheaper than 8% of comparable models.
Dark bar = input · light bar = output, scaled to the priciest peer.
1M tokens ≈ 8 full-length novels or ~2,500 pages of business documents in a single request.
Strongest on value. The pulled-in technical corner is the trade-off, and if the shape matters more than the price, this is your model.
Compare shapes side-by-side →Pricing
| Token Type | Cost per 1M tokens | Cost per 1K tokens |
|---|---|---|
| Input | $4.00 | $0.004000 |
| Output | $4.00 | $0.004000 |
What would Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) cost your business?
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A website chatbot handling around 100 customer conversations a day, a few short messages each.
Full calculator with 779 models → Price Calculator
These numbers get smaller with the right architecture.
We route routine calls to cheap models and save Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) for the hard ones. Most clients cut their estimate by 60-80%.
Talk to our teamAbout Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base)
Meta's latest class of model (Llama 3.1) launched with a variety of sizes & flavors. This is the base 405B pre-trained version. It has demonstrated strong performance compared to leading closed-source models in human evaluations. Usage of this model is subject to Meta's Acceptable Use Policy.
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Frequently asked questions about Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base)
How much does Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) cost?
Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) costs $4.00 per million input tokens and $4.00 per million output tokens.
What is the context window of Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base)?
Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) has a context window of 32,768 tokens (33K).
Who created Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base)?
Meta: Llama 3.1 405B (base) is developed by Meta and was released on August 2, 2024.
Data sourced from the OpenRouter API, Artificial Analysis, the Hugging Face Open LLM Leaderboard and our own internal testing. Scores are editorially curated by our team.
Last updated: September 18, 2026 8:38 pm