ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Llama-3.2-1B vs Phi-4-mini

Phi-4-mini comes out ahead, 58 to 55 on our weighted score, though Llama-3.2-1B is 35% cheaper per token.

  1. Meta

    Llama-3.2-1B

    Released Sep 25, 2024

    55/100
    • ECI102.0
    • Price$0.064 / $0.15
    • Context131K
  2. Our pick

    Microsoft

    Phi-4-mini

    Released Dec 11, 2024

    58/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.075 / $0.30
    • Context128K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Phi-4-mini is our pick

Phi-4-mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 58/100 against Llama-3.2-1B (55). It leads on inputs & features. Llama-3.2-1B 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 priceLlama-3.2-1BLlama-3.2-1B $0.085 · Phi-4-mini $0.131 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextLlama-3.2-1BLlama-3.2-1B 131,072 · Phi-4-mini 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsLlama-3.2-1B: Text · Phi-4-mini: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightLlama-3.2-1BPhi-4-mini
Price50%10092
Inputs & features30%025
Context window20%2424
Overall100%55/10058/100

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.

Llama-3.2-1B vs Phi-4-mini specifications side by side
SpecificationLlama-3.2-1BMetaPhi-4-miniMicrosoft
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)102.0—
ECI rank#147 of 148—
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions23.9%—
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics0.6%—
Price per million tokens
Input$0.064 (best)$0.075
Output$0.15 (best)$0.30
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.085 (best)$0.131
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 2 providersOfficial Azure API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens (best)128,000 tokens
Max output8,192 tokens (best)4,096 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingNoYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenLlama 3.2 Community LicenseOpen
API model ID—phi-4-mini
API providers2 (best)1
ReleasedSep 25, 2024Dec 11, 2024
Knowledge cutoffDec 2023Oct 2023
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.

  • Llama-3.2-1B$0.936
  • Phi-4-mini$1.35
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Llama-3.2-1B or Phi-4-mini?

Phi-4-mini is the better all-round choice, scoring 58/100 against Llama-3.2-1B (55). It leads on inputs & features. Llama-3.2-1B 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, Llama-3.2-1B or Phi-4-mini?

Llama-3.2-1B is cheaper at $0.064 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). Phi-4-mini costs $0.075 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official Azure API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.085 per million tokens for Llama-3.2-1B versus $0.131 for Phi-4-mini (1.5× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Llama-3.2-1B has an ECI of 102.0 and Phi-4-mini has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Llama-3.2-1B and Phi-4-mini yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Note that Llama-3.2-1B does not support tool calling, which most coding agents need.

Which has the bigger context window?

Llama-3.2-1B has the largest context window at 131,072 tokens, against 128,000 for Phi-4-mini. Maximum output per response: Llama-3.2-1B up to 8,192, Phi-4-mini up to 4,096 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Llama-3.2-1B accepts text; Phi-4-mini accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights (Llama 3.2 Community License), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Phi-4-mini is the newest, released Dec 11, 2024. Llama-3.2-1B came out Sep 25, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Llama-3.2-1B Dec 2023, Phi-4-mini Oct 2023.

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 Oct 4, 2026.