Model Comparison
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B vs Qwen3 30B A3BWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 1.2x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B vs Qwen3 30B A3B — which is better?
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (by Google) and Qwen3 30B A3B (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.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 30B A3B is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is roughly 1.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
Choose Qwen3 30B A3B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 30B A3B is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.07/1M tokens) is 1.4x cheaper than Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.30/1M tokens) costs the same as Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.30/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 30B A3B is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 30B A3B has 22.5B more parameters than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B, making it 281.3% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Qwen3 30B A3B's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 30B A3B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is limited to 8,192 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 30B A3B does not.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Qwen3 30B A3B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 30B A3B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B was released on 2024-03-15, while Qwen3 30B A3B was released on 2025-04-29.
Qwen3 30B A3B is 14 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.
Mar 15, 2024
2.2 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
1.1yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-10-01, while Qwen3 30B A3B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B's training data extends to 2024-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 30B A3B's cutoff date.
Oct 2024
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Provider Availability
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is available from Google. Qwen3 30B A3B is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Fireworks.
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Qwen3 30B A3B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 30B A3B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Qwen3 30B A3BDetailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B vs Qwen3 30B A3B.