Model Comparison

Grok-2 vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 21.6x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Grok-2 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri May 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs less

For input processing, Grok-2 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 25.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct ($0.08/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-2 ($10.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-2 is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers

Fri May 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Grok-2

Input tokens$2.00

Output tokens$10.00

Best providerxAI

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Input tokens$0.08

Output tokens$0.50

Best providerNovita

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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Grok-2's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 32,768 tokens, while Grok-2 is limited to 8,000 tokens.

Grok-2

Input128,000 tokens

Output8,000 tokens

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Input131,072 tokens

Output32,768 tokens

Fri May 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-2 and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-2

Text

Images

Audio

Video

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Text

Images

Audio

Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 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-2

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 was released on 2024-08-13, while Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 14 months newer than Grok-2.

Grok-2

Aug 13, 2024

1.8 years ago

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Sep 22, 2025

7 months ago

1.1yr 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

Provider Availability

Grok-2 is available from xAI. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is available from Novita, DeepInfra.

Grok-2

xAI

Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

Novita

Input Price:Input: $0.08/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.18/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.69/1M

* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Grok-2

View details

xAI

Higher MMLU score (87.5% vs 80.7%)

Higher MMLU-Pro score (75.5% vs 71.6%)

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (131,072 tokens)

Less expensive input tokens

Less expensive output tokens

Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature	Grok-2	Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct.

Which is better, Grok-2 or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Grok-2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 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-2 compare to Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-2 scores DocVQA: 93.6%, HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, MATH: 76.1%, MMLU-Pro: 75.5%. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct scores DocVQAtest: 96.1%, ScreenSpot: 94.4%, OCRBench: 89.6%, AI2D: 85.7%, MMBench-V1.1: 85.0%.

Is Grok-2 cheaper than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is 25.0x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-2 costs $2.00/M input and $10.00/M output via xai. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs $0.08/M input and $0.50/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Grok-2 supports 128K 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-2 and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 131K), input pricing ($2.00 vs $0.08/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?

Grok-2 is developed by xAI and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.