Model Comparison

Grok-2 mini vs Qwen3.8 MaxWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-2 mini vs Qwen3.8 Max — which is better?

Grok-2 mini (by xAI) and Qwen3.8 Max (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-2 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Aug 04 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-2 mini and Qwen3.8 Max support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8 Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3.8 Max

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.

Qwen3.8 Max is 24 months newer than Grok-2 mini.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

2.0 years ago

Qwen3.8 Max

Aug 2, 2026

1 days ago

2.0yr 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

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

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.8 Max

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher GPQA score (92.6% vs 51.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8 Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Qwen3.8 Max.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Qwen3.8 Max?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI and Qwen3.8 Max 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-2 mini compare to Qwen3.8 Max in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Qwen3.8 Max scores PaperBench: 93.0%, GPQA: 92.6%, VideoMME w sub.: 90.4%, RealWorldQA: 88.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 86.6%.

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Qwen3.8 Max?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Qwen3.8 Max is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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