Model Comparison

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 9.5x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking — which is better?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B (by Google) and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking (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 VL 235B A22B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (MMLU-Pro). Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is roughly 9.5x 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 9.5x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window

Choose Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (MMLU-Pro).

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B costs less

For input processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.07/1M tokens) is 6.4x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking ($0.45/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B ($0.30/1M tokens) is 11.6x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking ($3.49/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is more expensive than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Input tokens$0.07
Output tokens$0.30
Best providerGoogle
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
Input tokens$0.45
Output tokens$3.49
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

228.0B diff

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking has 228.0B more parameters than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B, making it 2850.0% larger.

Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
8.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
236.0Bparameters
8.0B
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
236.0B
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking's 262,144 tokens. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Wed Jun 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking uses Apache 2.0.

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

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

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 VL 235B A22B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is 19 months newer than Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B.

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Mar 15, 2024

2.3 years ago

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

Sep 22, 2025

9 months ago

1.5yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-10-01, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking'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 VL 235B A22B Thinking's cutoff date.

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

Oct 2024

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

Provider Availability

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is available from Google. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is available from DeepInfra, Novita.

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.07/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.30/1M

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.45/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.49/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.98/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.95/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MMLU-Pro score (83.8% vs 58.7%)
GoogleGemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen TeamQwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking.

Which is better, Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B or Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking?

Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is made by Google and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking 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 Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B compare to Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking in benchmarks?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B scores XSTest: 92.6%, FLEURS: 86.4%, Natural2Code: 75.5%, WMT23: 72.6%, Video-MME: 66.2%. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking scores ZebraLogic: 97.3%, DocVQAtest: 96.5%, ScreenSpot: 95.4%, CountBench: 93.7%, MMLU-Redux: 93.7%.

Is Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B cheaper than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is 6.4x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B costs $0.07/M input and $0.30/M output via google. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking costs $0.45/M input and $3.49/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B supports 1.0M tokens and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking supports 262K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 262K), input pricing ($0.07 vs $0.45/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking?

Gemini 1.5 Flash 8B is developed by Google and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.