ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B vs Solar Mini 4

Solar Mini 4 comes out ahead, 64 to 51 on our weighted score, though Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B is 20% cheaper per token.

  1. Nous Research

    Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B

    Released Apr 30, 2024

    51/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.14 / $0.14
    • Context8K
    Full specs Remove Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B
  2. Our pick

    Upstage

    Solar Mini 4

    Released Sep 22, 2026New

    64/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.40
    • Context524K
    Full specs Remove Solar Mini 4

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Solar Mini 4 is our pick

Solar Mini 4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B (51). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8BHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B $0.14 · Solar Mini 4 $0.175 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextSolar Mini 4Solar Mini 4 524,288 · Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B 8,192 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B: Text · Solar Mini 4: Text
  • Self-hostingHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8BPublishes downloadable weights (Llama 3 Community License)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8BSolar Mini 4
Price50%8782
Inputs & features30%2545
Context window20%049
Overall100%51/10064/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B vs Solar Mini 4 specifications side by side
SpecificationHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8BNous ResearchSolar Mini 4Upstage
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.14$0.10 (best)
Output$0.14 (best)$0.40
Cached input—$0.01
Blended (3:1)$0.14 (best)$0.175
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 2 providersOfficial Upstage API
Limits
Context window8,192 tokens524,288 tokens (best)
Max output8,192 tokens131,072 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenLlama 3 Community LicenseProprietary
API model ID—solar-mini4
API providers24 (best)
ReleasedApr 30, 2024Sep 22, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—Feb 2026
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B$1.68
  • Solar Mini 4$1.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B or Solar Mini 4?

Solar Mini 4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B (51). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B or Solar Mini 4?

Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B is cheaper at $0.14 input / $0.14 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). Solar Mini 4 costs $0.10 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (official Upstage API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.14 per million tokens for Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B versus $0.175 for Solar Mini 4 (1.2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B has not been scored yet and Solar Mini 4 has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B and Solar Mini 4 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Solar Mini 4 has the largest context window at 524,288 tokens, against 8,192 for Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B. Maximum output per response: Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B up to 8,192, Solar Mini 4 up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B accepts text; Solar Mini 4 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B publishes its weights (Llama 3 Community License) and can be self-hosted; Solar Mini 4 is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Solar Mini 4 is the newest, released Sep 22, 2026. Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B came out Apr 30, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Solar Mini 4 Feb 2026.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

Related comparisons