Model Comparison
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22BWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 235B A22B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is 2.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Llama 3.2 11B Instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22B — which is better?
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct (by Meta) and Qwen3 235B A22B (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 3.2 11B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU). Qwen3 235B A22B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is roughly 2.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Choose Llama 3.2 11B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 2.0x cheaper per token
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MGSM, MMLU).
Qwen3 235B A22B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.2 11B Instruct ($0.05/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 235B A22B is more expensive than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 235B A22B has 224.4B more parameters than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct, making it 2117.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 235B A22B does not.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Qwen3 235B A22B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.2 Community License, while Qwen3 235B A22B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Llama 3.2 Community License
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25, while Qwen3 235B A22B was released on 2025-04-29.
Qwen3 235B A22B is 7 months newer than Llama 3.2 11B Instruct.
Sep 25, 2024
1.7 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
7mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Llama 3.2 11B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date.
Dec 2023
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Provider Availability
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Sambanova, Bedrock, Groq, Together, Fireworks. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.
Llama 3.2 11B Instruct
Qwen3 235B A22B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 235B A22B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.2 11B Instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22B.