Model Comparison
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 10.8x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct — which is better?
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct (by Meta) and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B 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.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, IFEval, MMLU, MMLU-Pro). Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is roughly 10.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Choose Llama 3.1 8B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 10.8x cheaper per token
Choose Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, IFEval, MMLU, MMLU-Pro).
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens) is 6.7x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens) is 23.3x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct ($0.70/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct has 23.0B more parameters than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, making it 287.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 131,072 tokens. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.1 8B Instruct does not.
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.1 Community 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.
Llama 3.1 Community License
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is 14 months newer than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.
Jul 23, 2024
1.9 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
8 months ago
1.2yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Llama 3.1 8B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct's cutoff date.
Dec 2023
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Provider Availability
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is available from Lambda, DeepInfra, Groq, Sambanova, Cerebras, Hyperbolic, Together, Fireworks, Bedrock. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct is available from Novita, DeepInfra.
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct.