Updated June 2026
5 Cheaper Llama 4 Maverick Alternatives That Save You Up to 70%
Llama 4 Maverick costs $0.27/$1.10 per million tokens. These alternatives deliver comparable quality for a fraction of the price.
Based on verified pricing from 42 models across 10 providers. Updated daily.
Llama 4 Maverick vs Top Alternatives — Price Per Million Tokens
Llama 4 Maverick
Meta · 128K context
$0.27 input / $1.10 output
DeepSeek V4 Flash
DeepSeek · 1M context
$0.14 / $0.28-48%
Mistral Small 4
Mistral · 128K context
$0.10 / $0.30-63%
GPT-oss 20B
OpenAI · 128K context
$0.08 / $0.35-70%
Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite
Google · 1M context
$0.10 / $0.40-63%
Llama 4 Scout
Meta · 128K context
$0.18 / $0.59-33%
Calculate Your Savings
See how much you'd save by switching from Maverick to the cheapest alternative
$1,566/yr
savings by switching to DeepSeek V4 Flash
Maverick: $3,210/yr -> V4 Flash: $1,644/yr
The 5 Best Llama 4 Maverick Alternatives (Ranked by Value)
Input: $0.08/MOutput: $0.35/MContext: 128K
- Cheapest input cost of all models
- Open-source — self-hostable
- Good for high-volume input-heavy workloads
- Strong community support
Full comparison: Maverick vs GPT-oss 20B ->
Input: $0.18/MOutput: $0.59/MContext: 128K
- Same Llama 4 family — familiar architecture
- 33% cheaper on input, 46% on output
- Open-source — self-hostable
- Good balance of cost and capability
Full comparison: Maverick vs Llama 4 Scout ->
Why Teams Are Switching Away from Llama 4 Maverick
💸
Cost
Maverick output tokens cost $1.10/M — 4x more than DeepSeek V4 Flash for similar quality.
📏
Context Limits
Maverick's 128K context is small compared to 1M offered by DeepSeek V4 Flash and Gemini.
🔄
Vendor Lock-in
Multi-provider strategies reduce risk. Most alternatives support OpenAI-compatible APIs.
⚡
Speed
Budget models like V4 Flash and Mistral Small 4 offer faster response times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest Llama 4 Maverick alternative?
GPT-oss 20B is the cheapest at $0.08/$0.35 per million tokens — 70% cheaper on input and 68% cheaper on output. For a similar capability tier, Mistral Small 4 at $0.10/$0.30 offers 63% savings on both input and output.
How much cheaper is DeepSeek V4 Flash vs Llama 4 Maverick?
DeepSeek V4 Flash costs $0.14 input / $0.28 output per million tokens, compared to Maverick's $0.27/$1.10. That's 48% cheaper on input and 75% cheaper on output. For a typical workload of 10M input + 5M output tokens per month, you'd save approximately $384 per year.
Is Llama 4 Scout a good replacement for Maverick?
Llama 4 Scout at $0.18/$0.59 per million tokens is 33% cheaper on input and 46% cheaper on output. As part of the same Llama 4 family, it offers similar capabilities with a smaller context window. For many use cases, Scout provides sufficient quality at a lower price.
Can I switch from Llama 4 Maverick without rewriting my code?
Mostly yes. Most alternative providers offer OpenAI-compatible APIs, so switching often requires just changing the API endpoint and key. DeepSeek, Together (Llama), and several others support the OpenAI API format directly.
What's the best Maverick alternative for general tasks?
For general tasks, DeepSeek V4 Flash ($0.14/$0.28) offers the best value with 1M context and comparable quality. GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35) is cheaper but slightly less capable. Mistral Small 4 ($0.10/$0.30) is great for European compliance needs.
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