GPT-4o mini vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct leads the LLM Stats Score 14.1 to 3.8. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 1.4x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct leads the overall LLM Stats Score 14.1 to 3.8, ranking #228 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-4o mini wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (131,072 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-4o mini
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
Choose Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
- overall performance matters — it scores 14.1 and ranks #228 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 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.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
9 reported for GPT-4o mini · 46 for Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
GPT-4o mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-4o mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4o mini ($0.15/1M tokens) is 1.9x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct ($0.08/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4o mini ($0.60/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4o mini is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to GPT-4o mini's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 32,768 tokens, while GPT-4o mini is limited to 16,384 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both GPT-4o mini and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-4o mini
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4o mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 8B 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-4o mini was released on 2024-07-18, while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 14 months newer than GPT-4o mini.
Jul 18, 2024
2.1 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
11 months ago
1.2yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4o mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while Qwen3 VL 8B 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 Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct's cutoff date.
Oct 2023
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Provider Availability
GPT-4o mini is available from Azure. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is available from Novita, DeepInfra.
GPT-4o mini
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4o mini and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4o mini vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.