Model Comparison

GPT-4.1 mini vs QwQ-32BWhich is better in 2026?

QwQ-32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Verdict: GPT-4.1 mini vs QwQ-32B — which is better?

GPT-4.1 mini (by OpenAI) and QwQ-32B (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-4.1 mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while QwQ-32B is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA). QwQ-32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Choose GPT-4.1 mini if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025

Choose QwQ-32B if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

GPT-4.1 mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFEval), while QwQ-32B is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, GPQA).

QwQ-32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies input context (1,047,576 tokens). Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4.1 mini
Input1,047,576 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-4.1 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas QwQ-32B does not.

GPT-4.1 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GPT-4.1 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

QwQ-32B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4.1 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while QwQ-32B uses Apache 2.0.

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

GPT-4.1 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

QwQ-32B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4.1 mini was released on 2025-04-14, while QwQ-32B was released on 2025-03-05.

GPT-4.1 mini is 1 month newer than QwQ-32B.

GPT-4.1 mini

Apr 14, 2025

1.3 years ago

1mo newer
QwQ-32B

Mar 5, 2025

1.4 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4.1 mini has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while QwQ-32B has a cutoff of 2024-11-28.

QwQ-32B has more recent training data (up to 2024-11-28), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to GPT-4.1 mini (2024-05-31).

GPT-4.1 mini

May 2024

QwQ-32B

Nov 2024

6 mo newer

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (1,047,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher IFEval score (84.1% vs 83.9%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

QwQ-32B

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Has open weights
Higher AIME 2024 score (79.5% vs 49.6%)
Higher GPQA score (65.2% vs 65.0%)
OpenAIGPT-4.1 mini
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen TeamQwQ-32B
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-4.1 mini and QwQ-32B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-4.1 mini
✓ Preferred
QwQ-32B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-4.1 mini
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4.1 mini vs QwQ-32B.

Which is better, GPT-4.1 mini or QwQ-32B?

QwQ-32B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. GPT-4.1 mini is made by OpenAI and QwQ-32B 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-4.1 mini compare to QwQ-32B in benchmarks?

GPT-4.1 mini scores CharXiv-D: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, IFEval: 84.1%, MMMLU: 78.5%, MathVista: 73.1%. QwQ-32B scores MATH-500: 90.6%, IFEval: 83.9%, AIME 2024: 79.5%, LiveBench: 73.1%, BFCL: 66.4%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4.1 mini and QwQ-32B?

GPT-4.1 mini supports 1.0M tokens and QwQ-32B 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-4.1 mini and QwQ-32B?

Key differences include multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-4.1 mini and QwQ-32B?

GPT-4.1 mini is developed by OpenAI and QwQ-32B is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons