Model Comparison

GPT-4 vs Qwen2 72B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Verdict: GPT-4 vs Qwen2 72B Instruct — which is better?

GPT-4 (by OpenAI) and Qwen2 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.

GPT-4 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (HellaSwag, MMLU, Winogrande), while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Choose GPT-4 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $30.00/M input and $60.00/M output

Choose Qwen2 72B Instruct if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2024
  • 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

6 benchmarks

GPT-4 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (HellaSwag, MMLU, Winogrande), while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Fri Jun 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4 specifies input context (32,768 tokens). Only GPT-4 specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 72B Instruct
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Fri Jun 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-4 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen2 72B Instruct does not.

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

GPT-4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen2 72B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen2 72B Instruct uses tongyi-qianwen.

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

GPT-4

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen2 72B Instruct

tongyi-qianwen

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4 was released on 2023-06-13, while Qwen2 72B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.

Qwen2 72B Instruct is 14 months newer than GPT-4.

GPT-4

Jun 13, 2023

3.0 years ago

Qwen2 72B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

1.9 years ago

1.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2022-12-31, while Qwen2 72B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-4's training data extends to 2022-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen2 72B Instruct's cutoff date.

GPT-4

Dec 2022

Qwen2 72B Instruct

—

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (32,768 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher HellaSwag score (95.3% vs 87.6%)
Higher MMLU score (86.4% vs 82.3%)
Higher Winogrande score (87.5% vs 85.1%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2 72B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (42.4% vs 35.7%)
Higher HumanEval score (86.0% vs 67.0%)
Higher MATH score (59.7% vs 42.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-4
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2 72B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4 vs Qwen2 72B Instruct.

Which is better, GPT-4 or Qwen2 72B Instruct?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. GPT-4 is made by OpenAI and Qwen2 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 GPT-4 compare to Qwen2 72B Instruct in benchmarks?

GPT-4 scores AI2 Reasoning Challenge (ARC): 96.3%, HellaSwag: 95.3%, Uniform Bar Exam: 90.0%, SAT Math: 89.0%, LSAT: 88.0%. Qwen2 72B Instruct scores GSM8k: 91.1%, CMMLU: 90.1%, HellaSwag: 87.6%, HumanEval: 86.0%, Winogrande: 85.1%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4 and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

GPT-4 supports 33K tokens and Qwen2 72B Instruct supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-4 and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

Key differences include multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs tongyi-qianwen). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-4 and Qwen2 72B Instruct?

GPT-4 is developed by OpenAI and Qwen2 72B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons