Migrating off Llama 3.1 8B
Groq is decommissioning Llama 3.1 8B on the same date as Llama 3.3 70B. It was the cheapest, fastest model in the Llama-on-Groq lineup — the replacement that matters most here is whichever model preserves that instant-response latency, not necessarily the closest parameter count.
What actually changes
| Llama 3.1 8B | — | |
|---|---|---|
| Blended $/M | $0.06 | — |
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | — |
| Max output | 8,192 tokens | — |
| Modalities | text | — |
| Tokens / sec | unchanged / not measured | not measured |
Pricing from our live pricing registry; speed from our benchmark leaderboard where measured.
Gotchas
- GPT-OSS 20B is the closest like-for-like swap on Groq — similar cost tier, similar latency — but it exposes a reasoning mode Llama 3.1 8B never had. If your prompts assume a single-shot completion, verify you aren't accidentally paying for chain-of-thought tokens you don't need.
- Llama 3.1 8B has an 8K max output cap, noticeably smaller than most current small models. If you were chunking long generations to work around that ceiling, most replacements let you remove that chunking logic entirely.
- This model had no vision support. If part of your motivation for migrating is adding multimodal input, Qwen 3.8 30B (also Groq-hosted) is worth the extra cost over a text-only swap.
Alternatives beyond the obvious successor
Same Groq LPU speed, similar budget tier, adds optional reasoning mode.
Same parameter class off Groq — token-billed, no LPU rate limits.
Cheapest current text-only model if budget is the only constraint.
FAQ
Is Llama 3.1 8B being shut down?
Yes — it shuts down on 2026-08-16. Source: https://console.groq.com/docs/deprecations.
What should I switch to from Llama 3.1 8B?
There is no direct 1:1 successor — see the alternatives section for cross-provider options.
Will switching cost more or less?
See the pricing comparison table below for exact numbers.