Model Comparison
GPT-4o mini vs Qwen2 72B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Verdict: GPT-4o mini vs Qwen2 72B Instruct — which is better?
GPT-4o mini (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-4o mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, MATH), while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Choose GPT-4o mini if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.60/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
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4o mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, MATH), while Qwen2 72B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only GPT-4o mini specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only GPT-4o mini specifies output context (16,384 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-4o mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen2 72B Instruct does not.
GPT-4o mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4o mini
Qwen2 72B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4o mini 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.
Proprietary
Closed source
tongyi-qianwen
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-4o mini was released on 2024-07-18, while Qwen2 72B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.
Qwen2 72B Instruct is 0 month newer than GPT-4o mini.
Jul 18, 2024
1.9 years ago
Jul 23, 2024
1.9 years ago
5d newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4o mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while Qwen2 72B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4o mini's training data extends to 2023-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen2 72B Instruct's cutoff date.
Oct 2023
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Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-4o mini
View detailsOpenAI
Qwen2 72B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4o mini vs Qwen2 72B Instruct.