Open Source vs Proprietary LLMs: Complete Guide 2026
Compare open-source LLMs (Llama 3, Mistral, DeepSeek) with proprietary models (GPT-5, Claude, Gemini). Cost, performance, privacy, and deployment options.
Last updated: February 2026
Pricing Comparison
| Model | Provider | Input $/1M | Output $/1M | Context | Max Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.3 70B | Meta (Open Weight) | $0.88 | $0.88 | 128K | 4K |
| Mistral Large 3 | Mistral AI | $2 | $6 | 128K | 8K |
| GPT-5 | OpenAI (Proprietary) | $1.25 | $10 | 400K | 128K |
| Claude Sonnet 4.5 | Anthropic (Proprietary) | $3 | $15 | 200K | 64K |
Detailed Comparison
Llama 3.3 70B
Meta (Open Weight)
$0.88 / $0.88
per 1M tokens
Strengths
- + Open weights (Llama Community License)
- + Self-hostable (70B fits on 2x A100)
- + Competitive with proprietary mid-tier
Best For
Self-hosting, data privacy requirements
Context Window
128K
Max Output
4K
Mistral Large 3
Mistral AI
$2 / $6
per 1M tokens
Strengths
- + Strong multilingual support
- + European data sovereignty option
- + Good balance of open and capable
Best For
Multilingual applications, EU compliance
Context Window
128K
Max Output
8K
GPT-5
OpenAI (Proprietary)
$1.25 / $10
per 1M tokens
Strengths
- + State-of-the-art quality
- + Full multi-modal support
- + Enterprise-grade reliability
Best For
Maximum quality tasks, enterprise production
Context Window
400K
Max Output
128K
Claude Sonnet 4.5
Anthropic (Proprietary)
$3 / $15
per 1M tokens
Strengths
- + Excellent coding performance
- + Strong instruction following
- + Extended thinking for complex tasks
Best For
Coding, analysis, production workloads
Context Window
200K
Max Output
64K
Verdict
Open-weight LLMs (Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek) offer cheaper API pricing and self-hosting capability — ideal for privacy-sensitive or budget-constrained projects. Proprietary models (GPT-5, Claude) deliver broader capabilities and enterprise support. GPT-5 at $1.25/$10 is now competitively priced against open-weight alternatives. Use our VRAM Calculator to check if you can run open-source models on your hardware.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Llama 3.3 70B or Mistral Large 3?
Llama 3.3 70B costs $0.88/$0.88 per million tokens (input/output), while Mistral Large 3 costs $2/$6. Llama 3.3 70B is cheaper for input.
Which has a larger context window?
Llama 3.3 70B supports 128K context, while Mistral Large 3 supports 128K. Larger context windows allow processing more text in a single request.
Which should I choose for my project?
Open-weight LLMs (Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek) offer cheaper API pricing and self-hosting capability — ideal for privacy-sensitive or budget-constrained projects. Proprietary models (GPT-5, Claude) deliver broader capabilities and enterprise support. GPT-5 at $1.25/$10 is now competitively priced against open-weight alternatives. Use our VRAM Calculator to check if you can run open-source models on your hardware.