Model Comparison

Command R+ vs Qwen2.5 72B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is 1.2x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Command R+ vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct — which is better?

Command R+ (by Cohere) and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct (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.

Command R+ outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (GSM8k). Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is roughly 1.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Command R+ if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.25/M input and $1.00/M output

Choose Qwen2.5 72B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.2x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Command R+ outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (GSM8k).

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct costs less

For input processing, Command R+ ($0.25/1M tokens) is 1.4x cheaper than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct ($0.35/1M tokens).

For output processing, Command R+ ($1.00/1M tokens) is 2.5x more expensive than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Command R+ is more expensive than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com
Cohere
Command R+
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerCohere
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
Input tokens$0.35
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

31.3B diff

Command R+ has 31.3B more parameters than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct, making it 43.1% larger.

Cohere
Command R+
104.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
72.7Bparameters
104.0B
Command R+
72.7B
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Command R+'s 128,000 tokens. Command R+ can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Cohere
Command R+
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
Input131,072 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Command R+ is licensed under CC BY-NC, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct uses Qwen.

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

Command R+

CC BY-NC

Open weights

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct

Qwen

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Command R+ was released on 2024-08-30, while Qwen2.5 72B Instruct was released on 2024-09-19.

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is 1 month newer than Command R+.

Command R+

Aug 30, 2024

1.9 years ago

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct

Sep 19, 2024

1.9 years ago

2w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Command R+ is available from Cohere, Bedrock. Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.

Command R+

cohere logo
Cohere
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.35/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
hyperbolic logo
Hyperbolic
Input Price:Input: $0.40/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
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

Less expensive input tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GSM8k score (95.8% vs 70.7%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Command R+ and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Command R+
✓ Preferred
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Cohere
Command R+
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Command R+ vs Qwen2.5 72B Instruct.

Which is better, Command R+ or Qwen2.5 72B Instruct?

Qwen2.5 72B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Command R+ is made by Cohere and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct 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 Command R+ compare to Qwen2.5 72B Instruct in benchmarks?

Command R+ scores HellaSwag: 88.6%, Winogrande: 85.4%, MMLU: 75.7%, ARC-C: 71.0%, GSM8k: 70.7%. Qwen2.5 72B Instruct scores GSM8k: 95.8%, MT-Bench: 93.5%, MBPP: 88.2%, MMLU-Redux: 86.8%, HumanEval: 86.6%.

Is Command R+ cheaper than Qwen2.5 72B Instruct?

Command R+ is 1.4x cheaper for input tokens. Command R+ costs $0.25/M input and $1.00/M output via cohere. Qwen2.5 72B Instruct costs $0.35/M input and $0.40/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Command R+ and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct?

Command R+ supports 128K tokens and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Command R+ and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 131K), input pricing ($0.25 vs $0.35/M), licensing (CC BY-NC vs Qwen). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Command R+ and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct?

Command R+ is developed by Cohere and Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.