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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

North Mini Code vs Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B

North Mini Code comes out ahead, 71 to 65 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    Cohere

    North Mini Code

    Released Jun 9, 2026

    71/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove North Mini Code

  2. 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

North Mini Code is our pick

North Mini Code is the better all-round choice, scoring 71/100 against Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B (65). It leads on inputs & features and context window. 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 priceNorth Mini Code Free · Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B Free per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextNorth Mini CodeNorth Mini Code 256,000 · Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsNorth Mini Code: 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
MeasureWeightNorth Mini CodeLlama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B
Price50%100100
Inputs & features30%4535
Context window20%3624
Overall100%71/10065/100

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.

North Mini Code vs Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B specifications side by side
SpecificationNorth Mini CodeCohereLlama 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 Cohere APIOfficial Nvidia API
Limits
Context window256,000 tokens (best)128,000 tokens
Max output64,000 tokens (best)8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYeshighYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDnorth-mini-code-1-0nvidia/llama-3.1-nemotron-ultra-253b-v1
API providers2 (best)1
ReleasedJun 9, 2026Apr 7, 2025
Knowledge cutoffSep 23, 2025—
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.

  • North Mini CodeFree
  • Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253BFree
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: North Mini Code or Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B?

North Mini Code is the better all-round choice, scoring 71/100 against Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B (65). It leads on inputs & features and context window. 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, North Mini Code or Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B?

North Mini Code 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. North Mini Code 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 North Mini Code 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?

North Mini Code has the largest context window at 256,000 tokens, against 128,000 for Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B. Maximum output per response: North Mini Code up to 64,000, Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

North Mini Code 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?

North Mini Code is the newest, released Jun 9, 2026. Llama 3.1 Nemotron Ultra 253B came out Apr 7, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: North Mini Code Sep 23, 2025.

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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