Solar Mini 4 vs Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B
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.
- Our pick
UpstageSolar Mini 4
64/100- ECI—
- Price$0.10 / $0.40
- Context524K
Nous ResearchHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B
51/100- ECI—
- Price$0.14 / $0.14
- Context8K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
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 inputsSolar Mini 4: Text · Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B: Text
- Self-hostingHermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8BPublishes downloadable weights (Llama 3 Community License)
| Measure | Weight | Solar Mini 4 | Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 82 | 87 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 45 | 25 |
| Context window | 20% | 49 | 0 |
| Overall | 100% | 64/100 | 51/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Solar Mini 4Upstage | Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8BNous Research |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.10 (best) | $0.14 |
| Output | $0.40 | $0.14 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.01 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.175 | $0.14 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Upstage API | Median of 2 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 524,288 tokens (best) | 8,192 tokens |
| Max output | 131,072 tokens (best) | 8,192 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yesminimal · low · medium · high · xhigh · max | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | OpenLlama 3 Community License |
| API model ID | solar-mini4 | — |
| API providers | 4 (best) | 2 |
| Released | Sep 22, 2026 | Apr 30, 2024 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Feb 2026 | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Solar Mini 4$1.80
- Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B$1.68
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Solar Mini 4 or Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B?
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, Solar Mini 4 or Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B?
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. Solar Mini 4 has not been scored yet and Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Solar Mini 4 and Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B 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: Solar Mini 4 up to 131,072, Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B up to 8,192 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Solar Mini 4 accepts text; Hermes 2 Pro Llama 3 8B 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.
