Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Muse Spark 1.3
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (Meta) and Muse Spark 1.3 (Meta), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | Muse Spark 1.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Meta | Meta |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥8.94 | ¥219.9 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥14.3 | ¥747.65 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥16 | ¥594 |
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Release date | 7/23/2024 | 9/2/2026 |
| Input modalities | text | text, image, video, file, audio |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | #329 · ELO 1,211 | #8 · ELO 1,493 |
| Arena · Japanese | #243 · ELO 1,087 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #323 · ELO 1,260 | #8 · ELO 1,537 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct: ¥14.3 per 1M output tokens, 98% less than Muse Spark 1.3.
- On the Overall arena board, Muse Spark 1.3 ranks higher (#8; Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is #329).
- On the Coding arena board, Muse Spark 1.3 ranks higher (#8; Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is #323).
- For long documents, Muse Spark 1.3: a 1,048,576-token context window against 131,072 for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
To count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry', I will break down the word into its individual letters and examine each one. Here's the step-by-step process:
1. The word 'strawberry' consists of the following letters: s-t-r-a-w-b-e-r-r-y.
2. I will start by counting the letters that are not 'r'. The word has 1 's', 1 't', 1 'a', 1 'w', 1 'b', 1 'e', 1 'y'.
3. Next, I will count the number of 'r's. The word has 2 'r's, one of which is part of the letter combination 'rr'.
Therefore, there are 2 'r's in the word 'strawberry'.
9.7s169 output tokens
Muse Spark 1.3
The word is **strawberry** — there are **3** 'r's in it.
Here's my reasoning step by step:
1. **Write out the word:**
strawberry
2. **Break it into individual letters:**
s - t - r - a - w - b - e - r - r - y
3. **Go through each letter one by one and check if it is 'r':**
1. s → not r, count = 0
2. t → not r, count = 0
3. r → is r, count = 1
4. a → not r, count = 1
5. w → not r, count = 1
6. b → not r, count = 1
7. e → not r, count = 1
8. r → is r, count = 2
9. r → is r, count = 3
10. y → not r, count = 3
4. **Total up the matches:**
The 'r' appears at position 3, 8, and 9.
**Final answer: 3**
10.5s1063 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
The error `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` typically occurs when you're trying to access a property (in this case, `map`) on an object that is `undefined`.
In your case, the `users` prop passed to the `UserList` component is `undefined`. This is likely because the parent component that renders `UserList` is not passing the `users` prop, or the prop is not being properly initialized.
To fix this error, you can add a simple check to ensure that `users` is not `undefined` before trying to call `map` on it:
```javascript
function UserList({ users }) {
if (!users) return null; // or return a default message, e.g. "No users found"
return (
<ul>
{us…
7.9s292 output tokens
Muse Spark 1.3
This error means `users` is `undefined` when your component tries to render.
`users.map(...)` only works if `users` is an array. On the first render, if you haven't passed the prop yet, or your data hasn't loaded from an API yet, `users` is `undefined`, so JavaScript throws:
> Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')
This almost always happens in one of these 2 cases:
1. You forgot to pass the prop:
```js
<UserList /> // users is undefined!
```
vs.
```js
<UserList users={myUsers} />
```
2. Your data is async and is `undefined` on the first render:
```js
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined at first!
// ...
<UserList users={users} />
```
### How to fix it
**1.…
16.7s1242 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Here are some suggestions for improving the function's readability, performance, and best practices:
**Readability Improvements**
1. **Function name**: Consider renaming `get_data` to `fetch_active_items` to better reflect its purpose.
2. **Variable naming**: Use more descriptive variable names, such as `response` instead of `r`, and `active_items` instead of `result`.
3. **Code organization**: Break up the function into smaller, more focused sections. This will improve readability and make it easier to understand the logic.
4. **Type hints**: Add type hints for function parameters and return types to make the code more self-documenting.
**Performance Improvements**
1. **Use a more effic…
29.7s533 output tokens
Muse Spark 1.3
Here's a friendly review of your `get_data` function — it works, but there are a few readability, robustness, and performance issues worth fixing:
### 1. Readability Issues
**a) Imports inside the function**
```python
import requests
import time
```
This runs on every call (though Python caches it). Move to the top of the file per PEP 8.
**b) Poor variable names & magic numbers**
`r`, `i`, `data`, `2`, `10`, `200` don't tell the reader much.
**c) `== True` anti-pattern**
```python
if item["active"] == True:
```
Just use `if item.get("active"):` or `is True`. The current version will also crash with `KeyError` if `active` is missing.
**d) No docstring / type hints**
No one knows what `ur…
26.9s2141 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Muse Spark 1.3?
- Per 1M output tokens, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is ¥14.3 and Muse Spark 1.3 is ¥747.65 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Muse Spark 1.3 compare?
- Llama 3.1 8B Instruct takes 131,072 tokens; Muse Spark 1.3 takes 1,048,576.
- Which ranks higher, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Muse Spark 1.3?
- Muse Spark 1.3 ranks higher on the public arena (Llama 3.1 8B Instruct #243, Muse Spark 1.3 #8). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Muse Spark 1.3 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "llama-3.1-8b-instruct" or "muse-spark-1.3" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Muse Spark 1.3 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.