Both are Meta models. Muse Spark 1.3 is the newer, generally stronger default; reach for Llama 4 Scout when its lower price or a specific cost or latency profile matters more than the latest capabilities.
Llama 4 Scout and Muse Spark 1.3 are both Meta models, so the real question is not which lab to trust but which tier fits your workload and budget. Llama 4 Scout is the 10M-token open-weight giant — enormous on paper, but usable recall is far smaller. Muse Spark 1.3 is meta's September 2, 2026 agentic-coding model update, cutting tool calls and token usage versus Muse Spark 1.2 while its highest-reasoning mode remains gated for safety review. Since both come from the same lab, the comparison below focuses on the tier-and-cost trade-offs that actually separate them.
Key differences
Cost model: Llama 4 Scout ships open weights you can self-host (hardware cost only, no per-token fee), while Muse Spark 1.3 is API-metered at $1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens. Your choice depends on whether you want zero marginal cost at the price of running infrastructure.
Context window: Llama 4 Scout holds 10× more — 10M (~15,000 pages) vs 1M tokens (~1,500 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Long-context recall: Muse Spark 1.3 is far stronger at 1M tokens on MRCR v2 (15% vs 98.1%) — important if you actually fill the window with documents.
Recency: Muse Spark 1.3 is the newer model by about 17 months (released September 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Specifications
Spec
Llama 4 Scout
Muse Spark 1.3
Provider
Meta (US)
Meta (US)
Released
April 2025
September 2, 2026
Context window
10M (~15,000 pages)
1M tokens (~1,500 pages)
Price (in/out)
Open weight (self-host / free)
$1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
No — API only
Modalities
text, image, code
text, image, video
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
15%
98.1%
Who wins what
Largest advertised context (10M): Llama 4 Scout — Its 10M window holds about 10× more than Muse Spark 1.3's 1M tokens in a single prompt.
Open weights, single-GPU friendly: Llama 4 Scout — Open weights make this possible at all — Muse Spark 1.3 is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
Self-hosted, data-private deployment: Llama 4 Scout — The 10M-token open-weight giant — enormous on paper, but usable recall is far smaller — and it carries the larger 10M context.
Agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than Muse Spark 1.2: Muse Spark 1.3 — Meta's September 2, 2026 agentic-coding model update, cutting tool calls and token usage versus Muse Spark 1.2 while its highest-reasoning mode remains gated for safety review — and it is the newer of the two.
DeepSWE v1.1 long-horizon software engineering (75.4): Muse Spark 1.3 — Muse Spark 1.3 lists deepSWE v1.1 long-horizon software engineering (75.4) among its strengths; Llama 4 Scout does not.
Near-perfect long-context retrieval (MRCR v2 512K-1M: 98.1): Muse Spark 1.3 — Llama 4 Scout is comparatively weak here — ~15% on long-context multi-needle reasoning
Lowest cost at scale: Llama 4 Scout — Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of Muse Spark 1.3's $1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens.
Largest single-prompt input: Llama 4 Scout — Its 10M window is about 10× larger than Muse Spark 1.3's 1M tokens, fitting roughly 15,000 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: Llama 4 Scout — At Open weight (self-host / free) it undercuts Muse Spark 1.3, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases: Llama 4 Scout — Larger 10M window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs: Llama 4 Scout — Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; Muse Spark 1.3 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is largest advertised context (10m): Llama 4 Scout — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than muse spark 1.2: Muse Spark 1.3 — That is its strongest area.
Llama 4 Scout: where it fits
The 10M-token open-weight giant — enormous on paper, but usable recall is far smaller. Released April 2025 by Meta, it is built for largest advertised context (10M), open weights, single-GPU friendly, self-hosted, data-private deployment, and retrieval over very long inputs.
Its trade-offs are real: effective recall degrades far below 10M, and ~15% on long-context multi-needle reasoning. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
Muse Spark 1.3: where it fits
Meta's September 2, 2026 agentic-coding model update, cutting tool calls and token usage versus Muse Spark 1.2 while its highest-reasoning mode remains gated for safety review. Released September 2, 2026 by Meta, it is built for agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than Muse Spark 1.2, deepSWE v1.1 long-horizon software engineering (75.4), near-perfect long-context retrieval (MRCR v2 512K-1M: 98.1), and ranks third overall on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (score 61, xhigh variant; the limited-preview max variant scores 62) - behind only Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Opus 5.
Its trade-offs: strongest 'max' reasoning configuration still gated pending additional safety testing, not yet open-weight, despite Meta roadmapping a future Muse Spark weights release, and no official SWE-bench Verified score published. At $1.25 in / $4.25 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Because Llama 4 Scout and Muse Spark 1.3 come from the same lab (Meta), they share the same training philosophy and ecosystem — the decision is purely tier vs. cost. Muse Spark 1.3 is the more capable, more recent option; the other earns its place only when its price or latency profile fits a specific job better. Most teams should default to Muse Spark 1.3 and drop down only with a concrete reason.
Frequently asked questions
Is Llama 4 Scout or Muse Spark 1.3 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Llama 4 Scout leans toward largest advertised context (10m) while Muse Spark 1.3 leans toward agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than muse spark 1.2, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Scout or Muse Spark 1.3?
Llama 4 Scout is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while Muse Spark 1.3 is API-metered at $1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
Llama 4 Scout — 10M vs 1M tokens, about 10× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Should I upgrade from Llama 4 Scout to Muse Spark 1.3?
Since both are Meta models, the newer one (Muse Spark 1.3) is usually the better default unless you need a specific cost or latency profile from the other.
Which is newer, Llama 4 Scout or Muse Spark 1.3?
Muse Spark 1.3 — released September 2, 2026, about 17 months after Llama 4 Scout.
Llama 4 Scout vs Muse Spark 1.3
Meta · US | Meta · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Both are Meta models. Muse Spark 1.3 is the newer, generally stronger default; reach for Llama 4 Scout when its lower price or a specific cost or latency profile matters more than the latest capabilities.
Llama 4 Scout and Muse Spark 1.3 are both Meta models, so the real question is not which lab to trust but which tier fits your workload and budget. Llama 4 Scout is the 10M-token open-weight giant — enormous on paper, but usable recall is far smaller. Muse Spark 1.3 is meta's September 2, 2026 agentic-coding model update, cutting tool calls and token usage versus Muse Spark 1.2 while its highest-reasoning mode remains gated for safety review. Since both come from the same lab, the comparison below focuses on the tier-and-cost trade-offs that actually separate them.
Key differences at a glance
▸Cost model: Llama 4 Scout ships open weights you can self-host (hardware cost only, no per-token fee), while Muse Spark 1.3 is API-metered at $1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens. Your choice depends on whether you want zero marginal cost at the price of running infrastructure.
▸Context window: Llama 4 Scout holds 10× more — 10M (~15,000 pages) vs 1M tokens (~1,500 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
▸Long-context recall: Muse Spark 1.3 is far stronger at 1M tokens on MRCR v2 (15% vs 98.1%) — important if you actually fill the window with documents.
▸Recency: Muse Spark 1.3 is the newer model by about 17 months (released September 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
Spec
Llama 4 Scout
Muse Spark 1.3
Provider
Meta (US)
Meta (US)
Released
April 2025
September 2, 2026
Context window
10M (~15,000 pages)
1M tokens (~1,500 pages)
Price (in/out)
Open weight (self-host / free)
$1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
Yes — self-hostable
No — API only
Modalities
text, image, code
text, image, video
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
15%
98.1%
Who wins what
Largest advertised context (10M)
Llama 4 Scout
Its 10M window holds about 10× more than Muse Spark 1.3's 1M tokens in a single prompt.
Open weights, single-GPU friendly
Llama 4 Scout
Open weights make this possible at all — Muse Spark 1.3 is API-only, so it cannot leave the vendor's servers.
Self-hosted, data-private deployment
Llama 4 Scout
The 10M-token open-weight giant — enormous on paper, but usable recall is far smaller — and it carries the larger 10M context.
Agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than Muse Spark 1.2
Muse Spark 1.3
Meta's September 2, 2026 agentic-coding model update, cutting tool calls and token usage versus Muse Spark 1.2 while its highest-reasoning mode remains gated for safety review — and it is the newer of the two.
Llama 4 Scout is comparatively weak here — ~15% on long-context multi-needle reasoning
Lowest cost at scale
Llama 4 Scout
Its weights are open, so at volume you pay for your own hardware instead of Muse Spark 1.3's $1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens.
Largest single-prompt input
Llama 4 Scout
Its 10M window is about 10× larger than Muse Spark 1.3's 1M tokens, fitting roughly 15,000 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Llama 4 Scout
At Open weight (self-host / free) it undercuts Muse Spark 1.3, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Llama 4 Scout
Larger 10M window fits more in one prompt.
A team with data-privacy or self-hosting needs
→ Llama 4 Scout
Open weights let you run it on your own hardware; Muse Spark 1.3 is API-only.
Anyone whose priority is largest advertised context (10m)
→ Llama 4 Scout
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than muse spark 1.2
→ Muse Spark 1.3
That is its strongest area.
Llama 4 Scout: where it fits
The 10M-token open-weight giant — enormous on paper, but usable recall is far smaller. Released April 2025 by Meta, it is built for largest advertised context (10M), open weights, single-GPU friendly, self-hosted, data-private deployment, and retrieval over very long inputs.
Its trade-offs are real: effective recall degrades far below 10M, and ~15% on long-context multi-needle reasoning. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
Muse Spark 1.3: where it fits
Meta's September 2, 2026 agentic-coding model update, cutting tool calls and token usage versus Muse Spark 1.2 while its highest-reasoning mode remains gated for safety review. Released September 2, 2026 by Meta, it is built for agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than Muse Spark 1.2, deepSWE v1.1 long-horizon software engineering (75.4), near-perfect long-context retrieval (MRCR v2 512K-1M: 98.1), and ranks third overall on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (score 61, xhigh variant; the limited-preview max variant scores 62) - behind only Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Opus 5.
Its trade-offs: strongest 'max' reasoning configuration still gated pending additional safety testing, not yet open-weight, despite Meta roadmapping a future Muse Spark weights release, and no official SWE-bench Verified score published. At $1.25 in / $4.25 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Because Llama 4 Scout and Muse Spark 1.3 come from the same lab (Meta), they share the same training philosophy and ecosystem — the decision is purely tier vs. cost. Muse Spark 1.3 is the more capable, more recent option; the other earns its place only when its price or latency profile fits a specific job better. Most teams should default to Muse Spark 1.3 and drop down only with a concrete reason.
Want both Llama 4 Scout and Muse Spark 1.3 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
Is Llama 4 Scout or Muse Spark 1.3 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Llama 4 Scout leans toward largest advertised context (10m) while Muse Spark 1.3 leans toward agentic coding with ~20% fewer tool calls and ~25% fewer tokens than muse spark 1.2, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Scout or Muse Spark 1.3?
Llama 4 Scout is open-weight, so self-hosting means no per-token fee (you pay for hardware instead), while Muse Spark 1.3 is API-metered at $1.25/$4.25 per 1M tokens. For most teams without GPUs, the API model is cheaper to start; at very high volume, self-hosting can win.
Which has the bigger context window?
Llama 4 Scout — 10M vs 1M tokens, about 10× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Should I upgrade from Llama 4 Scout to Muse Spark 1.3?
Since both are Meta models, the newer one (Muse Spark 1.3) is usually the better default unless you need a specific cost or latency profile from the other.
Which is newer, Llama 4 Scout or Muse Spark 1.3?
Muse Spark 1.3 — released September 2, 2026, about 17 months after Llama 4 Scout.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.