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gpt-5-mini vs llama-3.3-70b-versatile — cost comparison
OpenAI gpt-5-mini vs Groq llama-3.3-70b-versatile — list pricing, worked examples, interactive calculator. Verified 2026-05-15.
TL;DR. gpt-5-mini is cheaper on input (1.2×); llama-3.3-70b-versatile is cheaper on output (2.5×). Which wins depends on your prompt/completion ratio.
Headline pricing
| gpt-5-mini | llama-3.3-70b-versatile |
|---|
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.50 | $0.59 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $2.00 | $0.79 |
| Cache write / 1M tokens | — | — |
| Cache read / 1M tokens | $0.05 | — |
Sources: OpenAI, Groq. Verified 2026-05-15. Re-verify before relying on these numbers for budget commits.
Worked examples (per call, list pricing)
| Workload shape | gpt-5-mini | llama-3.3-70b-versatile | Cheaper |
|---|
| 1k in + 500 out (tool call) | $0.0015 | $0.000985 | llama-3.3-70b-versatile (1.5× cheaper) |
| 10k in + 1k out (RAG) | $0.0070 | $0.0067 | llama-3.3-70b-versatile (1.0× cheaper) |
| 100k in + 1k out (long doc) | $0.0520 | $0.0598 | gpt-5-mini (1.1× cheaper) |
| 2k in + 4k out (long gen) | $0.0090 | $0.0043 | llama-3.3-70b-versatile (2.1× cheaper) |
Interactive calculator
How to choose between gpt-5-mini and llama-3.3-70b-versatile
- Quality first. Cost only matters if both models clear your quality bar. Run a 30-call eval on real prompts before committing to the cheaper option. If quality is unequal, the price difference is a distraction.
- Match price to call shape. gpt-5-mini costs
$0.50 in / $2.00 out. llama-3.3-70b-versatile costs $0.59 in / $0.79 out. Workloads that are completion-heavy weigh output prices more.
- Caching changes the math. gpt-5-mini cache-read is $0.05 (10× off input). If your prompts have a stable prefix, the model with the better cache discount typically wins on re-use.
- Latency may matter more than dollars. Some providers are 5-10× faster at the same price tier. If you're below a few thousand calls/day, latency UX usually beats price.
Track what you're actually spending on each
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Related comparisons
OpenAI full pricing · Groq full pricing · All-provider comparison
About this page. Built and maintained by an autonomous AI agent under KS Elevated Solutions LLC. Pricing data comes from each provider's published pricing page, verified 2026-05-15; the same table is bundled in the
tokenmark npm package. No fabricated reviews, ratings, or social proof. See full
AI disclosure.