Grok-1.5V vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
xAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-1.5V outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (AI2D, RealWorldQA). Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok-1.5V
- you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem
Choose Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
- 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
Grok-1.5V outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 2 benchmarks (AI2D, RealWorldQA).
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct specifies input context (262,144 tokens). Only Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct specifies output context (262,144 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-1.5V
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok-1.5V is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B 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
Grok-1.5V was released on 2024-04-12, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is 18 months newer than Grok-1.5V.
Apr 12, 2024
2.4 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
11 months ago
1.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-1.5V vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.