Open Source

GPT-oss vs Llama 4

The open-source LLM showdown. GPT-oss offers OpenAI-quality models at budget prices, while Llama 4 brings massive context windows and the Meta ecosystem. Both are self-hostable.

Pricing data verified: Jun 7, 2026

Full Model Lineup

GPT-oss 20B
OpenAI · 128K context · Smallest & cheapest
$0.08 / $0.35 per 1M
GPT-oss 120B
OpenAI · 128K context · Best quality
$0.15 / $0.60 per 1M
Llama 4 Scout
Meta (Together.ai) · 10M context · Long-context king
$0.11 / $0.34 per 1M
Llama 4 Maverick
Meta (Together.ai) · 1M context · Balanced quality
$0.20 / $0.60 per 1M
SpecificationGPT-oss 120B (OpenAI)Llama 4 Scout (Meta)
Input Price (per 1M tokens)$0.15$0.11
Output Price (per 1M tokens)$0.60$0.34
Context Window128K tokens10M tokens
TierBudgetBudget
LicenseOpen-sourceOpen-source (Apache 2.0)
Self-HostableYes (~4x A100 80GB)Yes (~1x H100 80GB)
API ProviderOpenAI / Together.aiTogether.ai

Calculate Your Exact Costs

Compare GPT-oss 120B vs Llama 4 Scout at your actual usage level.

OpenAI
GPT-oss 120B
$0.00
per month
Input cost
Output cost
Cost per request
Requests/month
Meta / Together.ai
Llama 4 Scout
$0.00
per month
Input cost
Output cost
Cost per request
Requests/month

Which Model for Which Use Case?

Long-Context Document Analysis

Llama 4 Scout's 10M context window lets you process entire codebases, legal documents, or multi-hour transcripts in a single pass — no chunking required.

Better value: Llama 4 Scout

Complex Reasoning & Code

GPT-oss 120B's training on OpenAI methodology gives it an edge on multi-step reasoning, code generation, and instruction following.

Better value: GPT-oss 120B

High-Volume Chatbots

Both are affordable, but Llama 4 Scout is 43% cheaper on output ($0.34 vs $0.60) — making it the better choice for conversational workloads at scale.

Better value: Llama 4 Scout

Self-Hosting at Scale

GPT-oss 20B runs on a single GPU, while Llama 4 Scout needs an H100. For budget self-hosting with moderate quality, GPT-oss 20B wins.

Better value: GPT-oss 20B

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is GPT-oss or Llama 4 cheaper?

It depends on the model size. GPT-oss 20B is the cheapest at $0.08/M input and $0.35/M output. Llama 4 Scout costs $0.11/M input and $0.34/M output. At the 120B tier, GPT-oss 120B is 25% cheaper on input ($0.15 vs $0.20) with identical output pricing to Llama 4 Maverick.

What is the context window difference?

GPT-oss models have 128K token context windows. Llama 4 Scout has 10M tokens — 78x larger. Llama 4 Maverick has 1M tokens (8x larger). Llama 4's context advantage is massive for document-heavy workloads.

Can I self-host both?

Yes, both are open-source. GPT-oss 20B needs ~1x A100 80GB; 120B needs ~4x A100s. Llama 4 Scout needs ~1x H100 80GB; Maverick needs 2-4x H100s. Self-hosting eliminates per-token costs but requires GPU infrastructure.

Which has better quality?

GPT-oss 120B generally outperforms Llama 4 Scout on reasoning, code generation, and instruction following. Llama 4 Scout excels at long-context tasks thanks to its 10M window. Maverick is competitive with GPT-oss 120B on most benchmarks.

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