GPT-5.1 Instant vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
GPT-5.1 Instant leads the LLM Stats Score 36.5 to 26.7. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is 2.8x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5.1 Instant leads the overall LLM Stats Score 36.5 to 26.7, ranking #76 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-5.1 Instant wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is roughly 2.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 Instant also accepts a larger context window (400,000 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-5.1 Instant
- overall performance matters — it scores 36.5 and ranks #76 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
Choose Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
- cost matters — it's about 2.8x cheaper per token
- 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-5.1 Instant · 67 for Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
GPT-5.1 Instant outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5.1 Instant 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-5.1 Instant ($1.25/1M tokens) is 2.8x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking ($0.45/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.1 Instant ($10.00/1M tokens) is 2.9x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking ($3.49/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Instant is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.1 Instant accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking's 262,144 tokens. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while GPT-5.1 Instant is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both GPT-5.1 Instant and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.1 Instant
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.1 Instant is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking 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-5.1 Instant was released on 2025-11-12, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.
GPT-5.1 Instant is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking.
Nov 12, 2025
10 months ago
1mo newerSep 22, 2025
12 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GPT-5.1 Instant is available from OpenAI. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking is available from DeepInfra, Novita.
GPT-5.1 Instant
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.1 Instant and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.1 Instant vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Thinking.