Llama 4 Maverick vs o3
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Meta's Llama 4 Maverick and OpenAI's o3.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Llama 4 Maverick
7.4x cheaper input, 9.4x cheaper output
Larger Context
Llama 4 Maverick
1.0M vs 200K
Higher Quality
o3
Score: 38 vs 18
Faster
Llama 4 Maverick
130 vs 79 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Llama 4 Maverick | o3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Meta | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.27 | $2 | Llama 4 Maverick is 87% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $0.85 | $8 | Llama 4 Maverick is 89% more expensive |
| Context Window | 1.0M | 200K | 5x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 100K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Llama 4 Maverick | o3 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 18 | 38 | o3 |
| Output Speed | 130 tok/s | 79 tok/s | Llama 4 Maverick |
| Time to First Token | 0.48s | 10.83s | Llama 4 Maverick |
| Value (Quality/$) | 68.1 | 19.2 | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Llama 4 Maverick | o3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0005 | $0.0044 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.0039 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.0053 | $0.044 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.039 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.053 | $0.440 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.388 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $0.525 | $4.40 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $3.88 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $5.25 | $44.00 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $38.75 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $525.00 | $4400.00 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $3875.00 |
Pros & Cons
Llama 4 Maverick Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K)
- +Faster output (130 vs 79 tok/s)
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
o3 Strengths
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Higher quality score (38 vs 18)
When to Use Each Model
Choose Llama 4 Maverick for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete
Choose o3 for
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Maverick or o3?
For input tokens, Llama 4 Maverick is 7.4x cheaper at $0.27/1M tokens. For output tokens, Llama 4 Maverick is 9.4x cheaper at $0.85/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Llama 4 Maverick costs $0.525 vs o3 at $4.40.
What's the context window difference?
Llama 4 Maverick supports 1.0M context (1,048,576 tokens), while o3 supports 200K (200,000 tokens). Llama 4 Maverick can handle 5x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
Quality Index: Llama 4 Maverick scores 18 vs o3 at 38. Speed: Llama 4 Maverick generates 130 tok/s vs o3 at 79 tok/s. Time to first token: Llama 4 Maverick at 0.48s vs o3 at 10.83s.
When should I choose Llama 4 Maverick over o3?
Choose Llama 4 Maverick when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K), Faster output (130 vs 79 tok/s), Lower latency (faster first token). Choose o3 when you need: Higher max output tokens, Higher quality score (38 vs 18).
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Llama 4 Maverick = $5.25, o3 = $44.00. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Llama 4 Maverick = $35.50, o3 = $280.00.