GPT-4.5 vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
GPT-4.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is 156.9x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (IFEval, MMLU, SimpleQA), while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, Multi-IF). GPT-4.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
On price, Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is roughly 156.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-4.5
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
Choose Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
- cost matters — it's about 156.9x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (IFEval, MMLU, SimpleQA), while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, Multi-IF).
GPT-4.5 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4.5 ($75.00/1M tokens) is 250.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4.5 ($150.00/1M tokens) is 100.7x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct ($1.49/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4.5 is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to GPT-4.5's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while GPT-4.5 is limited to 4,096 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-4.5 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-4.5
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B 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-4.5 was released on 2025-02-27, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is 7 months newer than GPT-4.5.
Feb 27, 2025
1.5 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
11 months ago
6mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GPT-4.5 is available from OpenAI. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Novita.
GPT-4.5
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4.5 and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4.5 vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.