Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4 vs QwQ-32B-PreviewWhich is better in 2026?

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. QwQ-32B-Preview is 36.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4 vs QwQ-32B-Preview — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 4 (by Anthropic) and QwQ-32B-Preview (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, QwQ-32B-Preview is roughly 36.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Claude Sonnet 4 also accepts a larger context window (200,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude Sonnet 4 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 200,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025

Choose QwQ-32B-Preview if…

  • cost matters — it's about 36.9x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 0 benchmarks.

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

QwQ-32B-Preview costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 75.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4 is more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.20
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Claude Sonnet 4 accepts 200,000 input tokens compared to QwQ-32B-Preview's 32,768 tokens. Claude Sonnet 4 can generate longer responses up to 64,000 tokens, while QwQ-32B-Preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Thu Jun 11 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Sonnet 4 supports multimodal inputs, whereas QwQ-32B-Preview does not.

Claude Sonnet 4 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Sonnet 4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

QwQ-32B-Preview

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4 is licensed under a proprietary license, while QwQ-32B-Preview uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Sonnet 4

Proprietary

Closed source

QwQ-32B-Preview

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4 was released on 2025-05-22, while QwQ-32B-Preview was released on 2024-11-28.

Claude Sonnet 4 is 6 months newer than QwQ-32B-Preview.

Claude Sonnet 4

May 22, 2025

1.1 years ago

5mo newer
QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 28, 2024

1.5 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

QwQ-32B-Preview has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-28, while Claude Sonnet 4's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm QwQ-32B-Preview's training data extends to 2024-11-28, but cannot make a direct comparison without Claude Sonnet 4's cutoff date.

Claude Sonnet 4

—

QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 2024

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 4 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. QwQ-32B-Preview is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.

Claude Sonnet 4

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

QwQ-32B-Preview

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
hyperbolic logo
Hyperbolic
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.89/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.89/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $1.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Larger context window (200,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (75.4% vs 65.2%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

QwQ-32B-Preview

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
AnthropicClaude Sonnet 4
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen TeamQwQ-32B-Preview
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4 vs QwQ-32B-Preview.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4 or QwQ-32B-Preview?

Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4 is made by Anthropic and QwQ-32B-Preview is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 4 compare to QwQ-32B-Preview in benchmarks?

Claude Sonnet 4 scores MMMLU: 86.5%, TAU-bench Retail: 80.5%, GPQA: 75.4%, MMMU: 74.4%, SWE-Bench Verified: 72.7%. QwQ-32B-Preview scores MATH-500: 90.6%, GPQA: 65.2%, AIME 2024: 50.0%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%.

Is Claude Sonnet 4 cheaper than QwQ-32B-Preview?

QwQ-32B-Preview is 20.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. QwQ-32B-Preview costs $0.15/M input and $0.20/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4 and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Claude Sonnet 4 supports 200K tokens and QwQ-32B-Preview supports 33K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Sonnet 4 and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 33K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.15/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 4 and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Claude Sonnet 4 is developed by Anthropic and QwQ-32B-Preview is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons