Model Comparison

Grok-1.5 vs Qwen2.5 32B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen2.5 32B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-1.5 vs Qwen2.5 32B Instruct — which is better?

Grok-1.5 (by xAI) and Qwen2.5 32B 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 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2.5 32B Instruct is better at 6 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU, MMLU-Pro). Qwen2.5 32B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-1.5 if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Qwen2.5 32B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 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 0 benchmarks, while Qwen2.5 32B Instruct is better at 6 benchmarks (GPQA, GSM8k, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU, MMLU-Pro).

Qwen2.5 32B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jun 14 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 32B 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 32B 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 32B Instruct was released on 2024-09-19.

Qwen2.5 32B Instruct is 6 months newer than Grok-1.5.

Grok-1.5

Mar 28, 2024

2.2 years ago

Qwen2.5 32B Instruct

Sep 19, 2024

1.7 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

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen2.5 32B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (49.5% vs 35.9%)
Higher GSM8k score (95.9% vs 90.0%)
Higher HumanEval score (88.4% vs 74.1%)
Higher MATH score (83.1% vs 50.6%)
Higher MMLU score (83.3% vs 81.3%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (69.0% vs 51.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-1.5
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen2.5 32B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-1.5 vs Qwen2.5 32B Instruct.

Which is better, Grok-1.5 or Qwen2.5 32B Instruct?

Qwen2.5 32B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-1.5 is made by xAI and Qwen2.5 32B 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 32B Instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-1.5 scores GSM8k: 90.0%, DocVQA: 85.6%, MMLU: 81.3%, HumanEval: 74.1%, MMMU: 53.6%. Qwen2.5 32B Instruct scores GSM8k: 95.9%, HumanEval: 88.4%, HellaSwag: 85.2%, BBH: 84.5%, MBPP: 84.0%.

What are the main differences between Grok-1.5 and Qwen2.5 32B 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 32B Instruct?

Grok-1.5 is developed by xAI and Qwen2.5 32B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.