Model Comparison
Llama 4 Scout vs Qwen3 VL 4B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Llama 4 Scout significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 4 Scout is 1.7x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Llama 4 Scout vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct — which is better?
Llama 4 Scout (by Meta) and Qwen3 VL 4B 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 4 Scout outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. Llama 4 Scout significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 4 Scout is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Llama 4 Scout also accepts a larger context window (10,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Llama 4 Scout if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 10,000,000 token context window
Choose Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Llama 4 Scout outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
Llama 4 Scout significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 4 Scout ($0.08/1M tokens) is 1.3x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 4 Scout ($0.30/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is more expensive than Llama 4 Scout.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Llama 4 Scout has 105.0B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct, making it 2625.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Llama 4 Scout accepts 10,000,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct's 262,144 tokens. Llama 4 Scout can generate longer responses up to 10,000,000 tokens, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is limited to 262,144 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Llama 4 Scout and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Llama 4 Scout
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 4 Scout is licensed under Llama 4 Community License Agreement, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Llama 4 Community License Agreement
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 4 Scout was released on 2025-04-05, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is 6 months newer than Llama 4 Scout.
Apr 5, 2025
1.3 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
10 months ago
5mo 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 4 Scout is available from DeepInfra, Lambda, Novita, Groq, Fireworks, Together. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.
Llama 4 Scout
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Llama 4 Scout and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Llama 4 Scout vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.