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Phi-3.5-mini Instruct vs Phi 4 mini instruct: local, rented GPU, and API costs

Compare calculated local requirements, provider-published rented-GPU rates, and dated API rates or clearly labeled size estimates for Phi-3.5-mini Instruct and Phi 4 mini instruct. Spanvero adds $0 markup.

Phi-3.5-mini Instruct vs Phi 4 mini instruct — cost comparison

Phi-3.5-mini InstructPhi 4 mini instruct
Parameters3.8B3.8B
Context window131.1K131.1K
LicenseCommercial OKCommercial OK
VRAM to run✓ ~5.0 GB (Q4_K_M)~6.0 GB (Q4_K_M)
Rent a GPU$0.06/hr$0.06/hr
Your API key✓ $0.13/1M (est.)$0.22/1M (last-known)

Which should you pick?

VRAM is calculated from catalog specs, quantization, and context. Non-estimated API rates are provider-sourced snapshots dated 2026-08-24; retired upstream rates are last-known and size-derived values are labeled "est." We don't rank model quality or quote benchmarks here.

Full cost breakdown: Phi-3.5-mini Instruct →
Full cost breakdown: Phi 4 mini instruct →

Open the free LLM cost calculator → to model your workload, hardware, monthly cost, and reliability assumptions.

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Spanvero · All comparisons · Prices as of 2026-08-24. $0 markup, your own accounts, we never resell compute. © 2026 Cynosure LLC.

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