Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, OpenAI o3-mini delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,560 vs 1,240), while OpenAI o3-mini leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (78.5%), while Llama 3.1 70B is more budget-friendly at $0.4/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Llama 3.1 70B instruct. Predecessor to 3.3 70B and Llama 4.
OpenAI cost-efficient reasoning model with adjustable thinking effort and top coding benchmark scores.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 320 Arena Elo pts
125 tok/s
$0.4 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Llama 3.1 70B | OpenAI o3-mini | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +320 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +25.6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +38.3% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +39.2% | ||
| Time to first token | +120 ms | ||
| Output speed | 125 tok/s | 92 tok/s | +33 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.35/1M | $1.1/1M | +$0.75/1M |
| Output price | $0.4/1M | $4.4/1M | +$4/1M |
| Context window | +72k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Llama 3.1 70B is estimated to save $86.25/month ($1,035/year).
Higher SWE-bench (78.5%).
Lower output list price ($0.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (170 ms).
Larger window (200k).
OpenAI o3-mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | OpenAI o3-mini | Higher SWE-bench (78.5%). |
| High-volume chat | Llama 3.1 70B | Lower output list price ($0.4/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Llama 3.1 70B | Lower TTFT (170 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | OpenAI o3-mini | Larger window (200k). |
| Screenshots / vision | OpenAI o3-mini | OpenAI o3-mini is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
No comments posted on this matchup yet. Be the first to share an evaluation note!
Dynamic OpenGraph banner generated at /compare/llama-3-1-70b-vs-o3-mini/opengraph-image
Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry