Model Comparison

Grok-1.5V vs Qwen3 VL 8B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-1.5V vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct — which is better?

Grok-1.5V (by xAI) 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.

Grok-1.5V outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AI2D), while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (RealWorldQA). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Choose Grok-1.5V if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Grok-1.5V outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AI2D), while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (RealWorldQA).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

xAI
Grok-1.5V
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Input131,072 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Grok-1.5V

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-1.5V 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.

Grok-1.5V

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-1.5V was released on 2024-04-12, while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 18 months newer than Grok-1.5V.

Grok-1.5V

Apr 12, 2024

2.3 years ago

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Sep 22, 2025

10 months ago

1.4yr 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 AI2D score (88.3% vs 85.7%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher RealWorldQA score (71.5% vs 68.7%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-1.5V
✓ Preferred
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-1.5V
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-1.5V vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.

Which is better, Grok-1.5V or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Grok-1.5V is made by xAI and Qwen3 VL 8B 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-1.5V compare to Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-1.5V scores AI2D: 88.3%, DocVQA: 85.6%, TextVQA: 78.1%, ChartQA: 76.1%, RealWorldQA: 68.7%. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct scores DocVQAtest: 96.1%, ScreenSpot: 94.4%, OCRBench: 89.6%, AI2D: 85.7%, MMBench-V1.1: 85.0%.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Grok-1.5V supports an unknown number of tokens and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct supports 131K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

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

Who makes Grok-1.5V and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Grok-1.5V is developed by xAI and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons