Model Comparison
Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is 10.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct — which is better?
Grok-4.1 Thinking (by xAI) and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B 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-4.1 Thinking outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (Creative Writing v3). Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is roughly 10.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Grok-4.1 Thinking if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
Choose Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 10.0x 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
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok-4.1 Thinking outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (Creative Writing v3).
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens) is 10.1x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct ($1.49/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Grok-4.1 Thinking's 256,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Grok-4.1 Thinking is limited to 8,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok-4.1 Thinking and Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok-4.1 Thinking 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-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17, while Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Grok-4.1 Thinking is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.
Nov 17, 2025
7 months ago
1mo newerSep 22, 2025
9 months 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 Thinking is available from xAI. Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Novita.
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Qwen3 VL 235B A22B Instruct.