GPT-5 nano vs QwQ-32B
GPT-5 nano significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5 nano outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while QwQ-32B is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5 nano significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-5 nano
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025
Choose QwQ-32B
- 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-5 nano outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while QwQ-32B is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5 nano significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only GPT-5 nano specifies input context (400,000 tokens). Only GPT-5 nano specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-5 nano supports multimodal inputs, whereas QwQ-32B does not.
GPT-5 nano can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-5 nano
QwQ-32B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5 nano 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.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5 nano was released on 2025-08-07, while QwQ-32B was released on 2025-03-05.
GPT-5 nano is 5 months newer than QwQ-32B.
Aug 7, 2025
1.0 years ago
5mo newerMar 5, 2025
1.5 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5 nano has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-30, 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-5 nano (2024-05-30).
May 2024
Nov 2024
6 mo newerOutputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5 nano and QwQ-32B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5 nano vs QwQ-32B.