Llama 3.3 70B Instruct vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Pricing, context window and real answers (October 2026)
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (Meta) and MiniMax M3.1 Flash (MiniMax), 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 3.3 70B Instruct |  MiniMax M3.1 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Meta | MiniMax |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.1055 | $0.1583 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.3376 | $0.633 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | $0.2743 | $0.4748 |
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Release date | 12/6/2024 | 10/19/2026 |
| Input modalities | text | text, image |
| Throughput (p50) | 20 tokens/s (n=25) | — |
| Arena · overall | #264 · ELO 1,318 | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | #224 · ELO 1,214 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #277 · ELO 1,346 | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's rates, before tax.
Rankings: LMArena leaderboard dataset (lmarena-ai/leaderboard-dataset), CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-10-15; category names mapped and ratings rounded by FastMetal.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct: $0.3376 per 1M output tokens, 47% less than MiniMax M3.1 Flash.
- For long documents, MiniMax M3.1 Flash: a 1,048,576-token context window against 131,072 for Llama 3.3 70B 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 3.3 70B Instruct
To count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry', I'll break down the word into its individual letters and then examine each one to identify the 'r's. Here are the steps:
1. **Write down the word 'strawberry' with its individual letters separated**: s-t-r-a-w-b-e-r-r-y
2. **Examine each letter to find the 'r's**: Going through the word letter by letter, I identify the 'r's.
- The first 'r' appears after 't', so that's one 'r'.
- Continuing through the word, I find another 'r' after 'e', which gives me a second 'r'.
- Then, immediately after this second 'r', I find a third 'r'.
3. **Count the total number of 'r's identified**: From the step above, I've identified a total of 3 'r's in th…
12.6s217 output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
1. Spell **strawberry**:
**s – t – r – a – w – b – e – r – r – y**
2. Count the letter **r**: it appears at positions **3, 8, and 9**.
**Total: 3 “r”s.**
3.0s193 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 3.3 70B Instruct
# Step-by-step analysis of the problem:
1. **The error is occurring because the `map()` function is being called on `undefined`**: This means that the `users` prop is not being passed to the `UserList` component, or its value is `undefined`.
2. **The `map()` function is a method of arrays**: It is used to iterate over the elements of an array and apply a transformation to each element. If `users` is not an array (i.e., it's `undefined`), this method will not be available, hence the error.
3. **To fix this error, you need to ensure that `users` is always an array**: You can achieve this by adding a conditional statement to check if `users` is an array before calling `map()` on it.
# Fixed so…
28.4s560 output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
The error occurs because `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders. Calling `.map()` on `undefined` causes the `TypeError`.
This commonly happens when:
- `<UserList />` is rendered without passing the `users` prop.
- The prop has a different name, such as `user`.
- Data is still loading and the parent initializes its state as `undefined`.
- An API response is accessed before it exists.
### Immediate fix
Provide a default empty array:
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => (
<li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>
))}
</ul>
);
}
```
Then pass the actual data from the parent:
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState([…
7.3s744 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 3.3 70B Instruct
### Review and Suggestions
The provided Python function `get_data` appears to be designed to fetch data from a given URL, filter active items, and return the filtered results. Here's a review of the function focusing on readability, performance, and best practices, along with suggestions for improvement.
#### Issues and Improvements:
1. **Import Statements**: Import statements should be placed at the top of the file, not inside the function. This adheres to PEP 8, the official Python style guide.
2. **Exception Handling**: The `except` block is too broad. It's better to catch specific exceptions that you anticipate might occur. For example, `requests.get` might raise `requests.RequestExc…
40.3s815 output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
The function is understandable, but it has a few important issues:
- `except:` catches programming errors such as `KeyError`, `TypeError`, and even `KeyboardInterrupt`.
- Every non-200 response is retried, including permanent failures such as 400, 401, and 404.
- It sleeps after the final failed attempt.
- Returning `[]` makes a failed request indistinguishable from a successful response containing no active records.
- A fixed delay can cause clients to retry simultaneously; exponential backoff and `Retry-After` are preferable.
- `item["active"] == True` should be `item.get("active") is True` if the API contract says it is a JSON boolean.
- A `Session` can reuse connections, while `requests…
146.5s
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct or MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
- Per 1M output tokens, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct is $0.3376 and MiniMax M3.1 Flash is $0.633 on FastMetal (US dollars, before tax), so Llama 3.3 70B Instruct is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Llama 3.3 70B Instruct and MiniMax M3.1 Flash compare?
- Llama 3.3 70B Instruct takes 131,072 tokens; MiniMax M3.1 Flash takes 1,048,576.
- Can I use Llama 3.3 70B Instruct and MiniMax M3.1 Flash with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "llama-3.3-70b-instruct" or "minimax-m3.1-flash" 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 3.3 70B Instruct and MiniMax M3.1 Flash from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.