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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct vs Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B

Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B comes out ahead, 65 to 62 on our weighted score.

  1. NVIDIA

    Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct

    Released Aug 21, 2024Deprecated

    62/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context128K
    Full specs Remove Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct
  2. Our pick

    NVIDIA

    Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B

    Released Apr 7, 2025

    65/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context128K
    Full specs Remove Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B is our pick

Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 against Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct (62). It leads on inputs & features. 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 priceSame priceNemotron Mini 4B Instruct Free · Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B Free per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameNemotron Mini 4B Instruct 128,000 · Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsNemotron Mini 4B Instruct: Text · Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightNemotron Mini 4B InstructLlama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B
Price50%100100
Inputs & features30%2535
Context window20%2424
Overall100%62/10065/100

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.

Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct vs Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B specifications side by side
SpecificationNemotron Mini 4B InstructNVIDIALlama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253BNVIDIA
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
InputFreeFree
OutputFreeFree
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)FreeFree
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Nvidia APIOfficial Nvidia API
Limits
Context window128,000 tokens128,000 tokens
Max output8,192 tokens8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDnvidia/nemotron-mini-4b-instructnvidia/llama-3.1-nemotron-ultra-253b-v1
API providers11
ReleasedAug 21, 2024Apr 7, 2025
Knowledge cutoff——
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.

  • Nemotron Mini 4B InstructFree
  • Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253BFree
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct or Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B?

Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 against Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct (62). It leads on inputs & features. 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, Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct or Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B?

Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct and Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B cost the same: Free input / Free output per million tokens.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct has not been scored yet and Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct and Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B 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?

Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct and Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B share the same 128,000-token context window. Maximum output per response: Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct up to 8,192, Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct accepts text; Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B is the newest, released Apr 7, 2025. Nemotron Mini 4B Instruct came out Aug 21, 2024.

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.

05 — Keep comparing

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