Model Comparison
GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Qwen3 VL 8B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 18.6x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct — which is better?
GPT-5.1 Thinking (by OpenAI) and Qwen3 VL 8B 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-5.1 Thinking outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is roughly 18.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 Thinking also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-5.1 Thinking if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- 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 8B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 18.6x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.1 Thinking outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5.1 Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.1 Thinking ($1.25/1M tokens) is 15.6x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct ($0.08/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.1 Thinking ($10.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Thinking 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
GPT-5.1 Thinking accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct's 131,072 tokens. GPT-5.1 Thinking can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5.1 Thinking and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.1 Thinking 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-5.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-12, while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
GPT-5.1 Thinking is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.
Nov 12, 2025
7 months ago
1mo newerSep 22, 2025
9 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 Thinking is available from OpenAI. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is available from Novita, DeepInfra.
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.1 Thinking and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.