Llama 3.2 90B Instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22B
Qwen3 235B A22B leads the LLM Stats Score 15.6 to 5.2. Qwen3 235B A22B is 3.6x cheaper per token.
Meta · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Qwen3 235B A22B leads the overall LLM Stats Score 15.6 to 5.2, ranking #229 overall.
In the 4 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Qwen3 235B A22B wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Qwen3 235B A22B is roughly 3.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
- you want predictable pricing at $0.35/M input and $0.40/M output
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B
- overall performance matters — it scores 15.6 and ranks #229 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 4 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 3.6x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
13 reported for Llama 3.2 90B Instruct · 23 for Qwen3 235B A22B
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MGSM), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU).
Qwen3 235B A22B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct ($0.35/1M tokens) is 3.5x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct ($0.40/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 235B A22B has 145.0B more parameters than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct, making it 161.1% 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
Documented input modalities across available providers
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 235B A22B does not.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
Qwen3 235B A22B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.2, 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
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 3.2 90B 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 90B Instruct.
Sep 25, 2024
2.0 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.4 years ago
7mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Bedrock, Fireworks, Together, Hyperbolic. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
Qwen3 235B A22B
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Llama 3.2 90B Instruct and Qwen3 235B A22B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.2 90B Instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22B.