Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs QwQ-32B-PreviewWhich is better in 2026?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is 1.2x cheaper per token.

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs QwQ-32B-Preview — which is better?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B (by DeepSeek) 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.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B outperforms in 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, LiveCodeBench, MATH-500), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is roughly 1.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.2x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025

Choose QwQ-32B-Preview if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.20/M output

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B outperforms in 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, LiveCodeBench, MATH-500), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B ($0.12/1M tokens) is 1.3x cheaper than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B ($0.18/1M tokens) is 1.1x cheaper than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, QwQ-32B-Preview is more expensive than DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
Input tokens$0.12
Output tokens$0.18
Best providerDeepinfra
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→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

300.0M diff

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B has 0.3B more parameters than QwQ-32B-Preview, making it 0.9% larger.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
32.8Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
32.5Bparameters
32.8B
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
32.5B
QwQ-32B-Preview

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to QwQ-32B-Preview's 32,768 tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while QwQ-32B-Preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is licensed under MIT, while QwQ-32B-Preview uses Apache 2.0.

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

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B

MIT

Open weights

QwQ-32B-Preview

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B was released on 2025-01-20, while QwQ-32B-Preview was released on 2024-11-28.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is 2 months newer than QwQ-32B-Preview.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B

Jan 20, 2025

1.5 years ago

1mo newer
QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 28, 2024

1.6 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

QwQ-32B-Preview has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-28, while DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B'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 DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B's cutoff date.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B

—

QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 2024

Provider Availability

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is available from DeepInfra. QwQ-32B-Preview is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.12/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.18/1M

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

DeepSeek
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher AIME 2024 score (83.3% vs 50.0%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (57.2% vs 50.0%)
Higher MATH-500 score (94.3% vs 90.6%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

QwQ-32B-Preview

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher GPQA score (65.2% vs 62.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and QwQ-32B-Preview side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
✓ Preferred
QwQ-32B-Preview
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B vs QwQ-32B-Preview.

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B or QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is made by DeepSeek 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 DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B compare to QwQ-32B-Preview in benchmarks?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B scores MATH-500: 94.3%, AIME 2024: 83.3%, GPQA: 62.1%, LiveCodeBench: 57.2%. QwQ-32B-Preview scores MATH-500: 90.6%, GPQA: 65.2%, AIME 2024: 50.0%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%.

Is DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B cheaper than QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is 1.3x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B costs $0.12/M input and $0.18/M output via deepinfra. QwQ-32B-Preview costs $0.15/M input and $0.20/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B supports 128K 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 DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 33K), input pricing ($0.12 vs $0.15/M), licensing (MIT vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B and QwQ-32B-Preview?

DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 32B is developed by DeepSeek and QwQ-32B-Preview is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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