Llama 4 Maverick vs o4 Mini
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Meta's Llama 4 Maverick and OpenAI's o4 Mini.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Llama 4 Maverick
4.1x cheaper input, 5.2x cheaper output
Larger Context
Llama 4 Maverick
1.0M vs 200K
Higher Quality
o4 Mini
Score: 33 vs 18
Faster
o4 Mini
140 vs 130 tok/s
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Llama 4 Maverick | o4 Mini | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Meta | OpenAI | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.27 | $1.1 | Llama 4 Maverick is 75% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $0.85 | $4.4 | Llama 4 Maverick is 81% more expensive |
| Context Window | 1.0M | 200K | 5x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 100K | |
| Tokenizer | cl100k_base | o200k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Llama 4 Maverick | o4 Mini | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 18 | 33 | o4 Mini |
| Output Speed | 130 tok/s | 140 tok/s | o4 Mini |
| Time to First Token | 0.48s | 32.98s | Llama 4 Maverick |
| Value (Quality/$) | 68.1 | 30.1 | 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 | o4 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0005 | $0.0024 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.0019 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.0053 | $0.024 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.019 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.053 | $0.242 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.190 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $0.525 | $2.42 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $1.90 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $5.25 | $24.20 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $18.95 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $525.00 | $2420.00 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $1895.00 |
Pros & Cons
Llama 4 Maverick Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K)
- +Lower latency (faster first token)
o4 Mini Strengths
- +Higher max output tokens
- +Faster output (140 vs 130 tok/s)
- +Higher quality score (33 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
Choose o4 Mini for
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
- →Tasks requiring maximum accuracy and reasoning
- →Real-time applications, chat, or autocomplete
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Maverick or o4 Mini?
For input tokens, Llama 4 Maverick is 4.1x cheaper at $0.27/1M tokens. For output tokens, Llama 4 Maverick is 5.2x cheaper at $0.85/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Llama 4 Maverick costs $0.525 vs o4 Mini at $2.42.
What's the context window difference?
Llama 4 Maverick supports 1.0M context (1,048,576 tokens), while o4 Mini 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 o4 Mini at 33. Speed: Llama 4 Maverick generates 130 tok/s vs o4 Mini at 140 tok/s. Time to first token: Llama 4 Maverick at 0.48s vs o4 Mini at 32.98s.
When should I choose Llama 4 Maverick over o4 Mini?
Choose Llama 4 Maverick when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (1.0M vs 200K), Lower latency (faster first token). Choose o4 Mini when you need: Higher max output tokens, Faster output (140 vs 130 tok/s), Higher quality score (33 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, o4 Mini = $24.20. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Llama 4 Maverick = $35.50, o4 Mini = $154.00.