Model Comparison

LongCat-Flash-Chat vs QwQ-32B-PreviewWhich is better in 2026?

LongCat-Flash-Chat shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. QwQ-32B-Preview is 3.2x cheaper per token.

Verdict: LongCat-Flash-Chat vs QwQ-32B-Preview — which is better?

LongCat-Flash-Chat (by Meituan) and QwQ-32B-Preview (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.

LongCat-Flash-Chat outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 1 benchmark (LiveCodeBench). LongCat-Flash-Chat shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, QwQ-32B-Preview is roughly 3.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

LongCat-Flash-Chat also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose LongCat-Flash-Chat if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025

Choose QwQ-32B-Preview if…

  • cost matters — it's about 3.2x cheaper per token

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

LongCat-Flash-Chat outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 1 benchmark (LiveCodeBench).

LongCat-Flash-Chat shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

QwQ-32B-Preview costs less

For input processing, LongCat-Flash-Chat ($0.30/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, LongCat-Flash-Chat ($1.20/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, LongCat-Flash-Chat is more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
Meituan
LongCat-Flash-Chat
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerMeituan
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.20
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

527.5B diff

LongCat-Flash-Chat has 527.5B more parameters than QwQ-32B-Preview, making it 1623.1% larger.

Meituan
LongCat-Flash-Chat
560.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
32.5Bparameters
560.0B
LongCat-Flash-Chat
32.5B
QwQ-32B-Preview

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

LongCat-Flash-Chat accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to QwQ-32B-Preview's 32,768 tokens. LongCat-Flash-Chat can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while QwQ-32B-Preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Meituan
LongCat-Flash-Chat
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

LongCat-Flash-Chat is licensed under MIT, while QwQ-32B-Preview uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

LongCat-Flash-Chat

MIT

Open weights

QwQ-32B-Preview

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

LongCat-Flash-Chat was released on 2025-08-29, while QwQ-32B-Preview was released on 2024-11-28.

LongCat-Flash-Chat is 9 months newer than QwQ-32B-Preview.

LongCat-Flash-Chat

Aug 29, 2025

11 months ago

9mo newer
QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 28, 2024

1.7 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

QwQ-32B-Preview has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-28, while LongCat-Flash-Chat's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm QwQ-32B-Preview's training data extends to 2024-11-28, but cannot make a direct comparison without LongCat-Flash-Chat's cutoff date.

LongCat-Flash-Chat

—

QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 2024

Provider Availability

LongCat-Flash-Chat is available from Meituan. QwQ-32B-Preview is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.

LongCat-Flash-Chat

meituan logo
Meituan
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M

QwQ-32B-Preview

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
hyperbolic logo
Hyperbolic
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.89/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.89/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $1.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Meituan
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (73.2% vs 65.2%)
Higher MATH-500 score (96.4% vs 90.6%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

QwQ-32B-Preview

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher LiveCodeBench score (50.0% vs 48.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against LongCat-Flash-Chat and QwQ-32B-Preview side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

LongCat-Flash-Chat
✓ Preferred
QwQ-32B-Preview
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Meituan
LongCat-Flash-Chat
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview

FAQ

Common questions about LongCat-Flash-Chat vs QwQ-32B-Preview.

Which is better, LongCat-Flash-Chat or QwQ-32B-Preview?

LongCat-Flash-Chat shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. LongCat-Flash-Chat is made by Meituan and QwQ-32B-Preview is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does LongCat-Flash-Chat compare to QwQ-32B-Preview in benchmarks?

LongCat-Flash-Chat scores MATH-500: 96.4%, MMLU: 89.7%, IFEval: 89.6%, ZebraLogic: 89.3%, HumanEval: 88.4%. QwQ-32B-Preview scores MATH-500: 90.6%, GPQA: 65.2%, AIME 2024: 50.0%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%.

Is LongCat-Flash-Chat cheaper than QwQ-32B-Preview?

QwQ-32B-Preview is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. LongCat-Flash-Chat costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output via meituan. QwQ-32B-Preview costs $0.15/M input and $0.20/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for LongCat-Flash-Chat and QwQ-32B-Preview?

LongCat-Flash-Chat supports 128K tokens and QwQ-32B-Preview supports 33K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between LongCat-Flash-Chat and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 33K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $0.15/M), licensing (MIT vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes LongCat-Flash-Chat and QwQ-32B-Preview?

LongCat-Flash-Chat is developed by Meituan and QwQ-32B-Preview is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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