LFM2.5-2.6B vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
LFM2.5-2.6B leads the LLM Stats Score 19.0 to 16.2.
Liquid AI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
LFM2.5-2.6B leads the overall LLM Stats Score 19.0 to 16.2, ranking #208 overall.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, LFM2.5-2.6B wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose LFM2.5-2.6B
- overall performance matters — it scores 19.0 and ranks #208 on LLM Stats
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
Choose Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
- you want predictable pricing at $0.18/M input and $2.09/M output
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
9 reported for LFM2.5-2.6B · 50 for Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
LFM2.5-2.6B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (LiveCodeBench v6, Multi-IF), while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).
LFM2.5-2.6B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking has 6.3B more parameters than LFM2.5-2.6B, making it 234.6% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking specifies input context (262,144 tokens). Only Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking specifies output context (262,144 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas LFM2.5-2.6B does not.
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
LFM2.5-2.6B
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
LFM2.5-2.6B is licensed under LFM Open License v1.0, 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.
LFM Open License v1.0
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
LFM2.5-2.6B was released on 2026-08-04, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.
LFM2.5-2.6B is 11 months newer than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.
Aug 4, 2026
1 months ago
10mo newerSep 22, 2025
12 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against LFM2.5-2.6B and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about LFM2.5-2.6B vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.