Grok-4.1 vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
Grok-4.1 leads the LLM Stats Score 19.6 to 16.4. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is 22.9x cheaper per token.
xAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-4.1 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 19.6 to 16.4, ranking #217 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-4.1 wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is roughly 22.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok-4.1
- overall performance matters — it scores 19.6 and ranks #217 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
Choose Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
- cost matters — it's about 22.9x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for Grok-4.1 · 50 for Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
Grok-4.1 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (Creative Writing v3), while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok-4.1 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-4.1 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 25.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-4.1 is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Grok-4.1's 256,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Grok-4.1 is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok-4.1 and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-4.1
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok-4.1 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B 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-4.1 was released on 2025-11-17, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Grok-4.1 is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct.
Nov 17, 2025
11 months ago
1mo newerSep 22, 2025
1.1 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Grok-4.1 is available from xAI. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Novita.
Grok-4.1
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-4.1 and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-4.1 vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct.