Model Comparison
GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
GPT-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is 15.6x cheaper per token.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4.1 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (CharXiv-D, CharXiv-R, IFEval, MMLU), while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).
GPT-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4.1 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4.1 ($8.00/1M tokens) is 13.3x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4.1 is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-4.1 accepts 1,047,576 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct's 262,144 tokens. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while GPT-4.1 is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-4.1 and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-4.1
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4.1 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct 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
GPT-4.1 was released on 2025-04-14, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is 5 months newer than GPT-4.1.
Apr 14, 2025
1.1 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
7 months ago
5mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4.1 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4.1's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct's cutoff date.
Jun 2024
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Provider Availability
GPT-4.1 is available from OpenAI. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.
GPT-4.1
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-4.1
View detailsOpenAI
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.