Model Comparison

Grok-1.5 vs Qwen2.5 14B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-1.5 vs Qwen2.5 14B Instruct — which is better?

Grok-1.5 (by xAI) and Qwen2.5 14B 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.

Grok-1.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Qwen2.5 14B Instruct is better at 5 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro). Qwen2.5 14B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-1.5 if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Qwen2.5 14B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 6 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

Grok-1.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Qwen2.5 14B Instruct is better at 5 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro).

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-1.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen2.5 14B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Grok-1.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-1.5 was released on 2024-03-28, while Qwen2.5 14B Instruct was released on 2024-09-19.

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct is 6 months newer than Grok-1.5.

Grok-1.5

Mar 28, 2024

2.3 years ago

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct

Sep 19, 2024

1.8 years ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Higher MMLU score (81.3% vs 79.7%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (45.5% vs 35.9%)
Higher GSM8k score (94.8% vs 90.0%)
Higher HumanEval score (83.5% vs 74.1%)
Higher MATH score (80.0% vs 50.6%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (63.7% vs 51.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-1.5 and Qwen2.5 14B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-1.5
✓ Preferred
Qwen2.5 14B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-1.5
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2.5 14B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-1.5 vs Qwen2.5 14B Instruct.

Which is better, Grok-1.5 or Qwen2.5 14B Instruct?

Qwen2.5 14B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-1.5 is made by xAI and Qwen2.5 14B Instruct is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-1.5 compare to Qwen2.5 14B Instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-1.5 scores GSM8k: 90.0%, DocVQA: 85.6%, MMLU: 81.3%, HumanEval: 74.1%, MMMU: 53.6%. Qwen2.5 14B Instruct scores GSM8k: 94.8%, HumanEval: 83.5%, MBPP: 82.0%, MATH: 80.0%, MMLU-Redux: 80.0%.

What are the main differences between Grok-1.5 and Qwen2.5 14B Instruct?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-1.5 and Qwen2.5 14B Instruct?

Grok-1.5 is developed by xAI and Qwen2.5 14B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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