Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs Qwen3 VL 8B ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is 4.6x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking (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 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is roughly 4.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4.5 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Grok 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking if…
- cost matters — it's about 4.6x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 11.1x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking ($0.18/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 2.9x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking ($2.09/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking's 262,144 tokens. Only Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking specifies output context (262,144 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok 4.5 and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.5
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking 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 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.
Grok 4.5 is 10 months newer than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.
Jul 16, 2026
5 days ago
9mo newerSep 22, 2025
10 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is available from DeepInfra.
Grok 4.5
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.