Llama Guard 4 12B alternatives
Same input types and capabilities, at least half the context window · USD per 1M tokens
We found 10 models that can replace Llama Guard 4 12B ($0.18 input / $0.18 output per million tokens). 10 of them are cheaper. The cheapest, Gemma 4 E2B IT, costs 72.2% less on a blended 3:1 basis: $0.56 instead of $2.16 per month for a chatbot workload (10M input / 2M output tokens).
// 10 alternatives
| model | lab | in $/1M | out $/1M | ctx | vs Llama Guard 4 12B | chatbot / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma 4 E2B IT | $0.04 | $0.08 | 131.1K | −72.2% | $0.56 | |
| Qwen3.7 Flash | Alibaba (Qwen) | $0.03 | $0.13 | 1M | −69.4% | $0.56 |
| Gemma 3 12B IT | $0.05 | $0.10 | 131.1K | −65.3% | $0.70 | |
| Gemma 3 27B IT | $0.08 | $0.16 | 131.1K | −44.4% | $1.12 | |
| Ministral 3 3B · compare | Mistral | $0.10 | $0.10 | 131.1K | −44.4% | $1.20 |
| Qwen3.5 9B | Alibaba (Qwen) | $0.10 | $0.15 | 262.1K | −37.5% | $1.30 |
| Muse Spark 1.2 Contributor | Meta | $0.10 | $0.20 | 1.05M | −30.6% | $1.40 |
| Muse Spark 1.3 Contributor | Meta | $0.10 | $0.20 | 1.05M | −30.6% | $1.40 |
| Gemma 4 26B A4B IT · compare | $0.07 | $0.34 | 262.1K | −23.6% | $1.38 | |
| GPT-5 Nano · compare | OpenAI | $0.05 | $0.40 | 400K | −23.6% | $1.30 |
// how we pick alternatives
An alternative must accept every input type Llama Guard 4 12B accepts (text, image), offer the same tool-calling and reasoning support, and have at least half of its 163.8K-token context window. Models are sorted by blended price (3 × input + output) / 4, using base-tier list prices refreshed daily.