Cohere · language model
Command R (08-2024): pricing, context and benchmarks
Command R (08-2024) is a language model from Cohere released on August 30, 2024. It costs $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.6 per million output tokens, with a 128K-token context window. No independent score has been published for it so far.
What you need to know about Command R (08-2024)
Command R (08-2024) was released by Cohere (Canada) on August 30, 2024. It accepts text as input and produces text. Its context window reaches 128,000 tokens, larger than 19 % of the models in the registry, and it can write up to 4,000 tokens in one go.
Released more than 2 years ago, it belongs to a generation most vendors have since superseded.
Command R (08-2024) pricing
On OpenRouter, Command R (08-2024) costs $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.6 per million output tokens. Counting three tokens read for every token written, its average price is $0.262 per million, more expensive than 25 % of paid models (2.9 times cheaper than the median of $0.76).
A concrete example: a task that sends 2,000 tokens (about 1,500 words) and receives a 500-token answer costs $0.0006. At 1,000 tasks a day, budget $18 a month. The price calculator redoes this with your own volumes.
Performance and benchmarks
Epoch AI does not yet publish a capabilities index for Command R (08-2024). We therefore show no made-up performance rating: only price, context and features count towards its score.
Features, privacy and local use
- It supports tool calling, so it can drive an AI agent, call APIs or MCP servers.
- It can answer in an enforced JSON format (structured outputs).
- Its knowledge stops at March 2024.
Its weights are not published: it can only be used through the Cohere API or a broker such as OpenRouter, which means sending your data off your machines.
Other Cohere models
| Model | Released | Avg. price | ECI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command A+ | Sep 22, 2026 | $0.6 | — |
| North Mini Code | Jun 17, 2026 | Free | — |
| Command A | Mar 13, 2025 | $4.38 | — |
| Command R7B (12-2024) | Dec 14, 2024 | $0.07 | — |
| Command R+ (08-2024) | Aug 30, 2024 | $4.38 | — |
Verdict
Command R (08-2024) scores 57/100 on our grid, which only uses published figures.
Strengths
- Low price: cheaper than 75 % of paid models.
- Agent-ready: tool calling and structured JSON output.
Limitations
- No independent score published: performance cannot be verified.
- Older generation, often replaced by a newer model from the same vendor.
- Text only: reads neither images nor files.
Avoid if…
- your data must not leave your servers.
Alternatives
- GPT-4o-mini$0.26
- GPT-4o-mini (2024-07-18)$0.26
- LFM2.5-24B-A2B$0.21
- gpt-oss-120b$0.26
- Solar Pro 3$0.26
- Hunyuan A13B Instruct$0.25
Comparisons and tools
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
How much does Command R (08-2024) cost?
$0.15 per million input tokens and $0.6 per million output tokens on OpenRouter (checked October 25, 2026). A task with 2,000 tokens read and 500 written costs $0.0006.
How big is Command R (08-2024)'s context window?
128,000 tokens, roughly 96,000 words, with a maximum of 4,000 output tokens.
Can Command R (08-2024) run locally?
No, Cohere does not publish its weights: it is API-only.
Is Command R (08-2024) suitable for an AI agent?
Technically yes: it supports tool calling and structured outputs. Then check its cost for your volume.
What are the alternatives to Command R (08-2024)?
The closest models on price and performance are GPT-4o-mini, GPT-4o-mini (2024-07-18), and LFM2.5-24B-A2B.
Related articles
- Mistral AI: models, pricing and agentsOctober 25, 2026
- LLM benchmarks: how to read model rankingsOctober 24, 2026
- Running a local LLM: hardware, software, and limitationsOctober 24, 2026
- Open-source or closed models for your AI agents?October 5, 2026
Neutrality. No affiliate links. No vendor pays to be reviewed, rated or ranked. Reviews are directed by François Chollet, neutral and factual, and every data point is dated and sourced. How we score