Model Comparison
LongCat-Flash-Lite vs Qwen3 235B A22BWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 235B A22B has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Qwen3 235B A22B is 1.8x cheaper per token.
Verdict: LongCat-Flash-Lite vs Qwen3 235B A22B — which is better?
LongCat-Flash-Lite (by Meituan) 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.
LongCat-Flash-Lite outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, MMLU). Qwen3 235B A22B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
On price, Qwen3 235B A22B is roughly 1.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
LongCat-Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose LongCat-Flash-Lite if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.8x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
LongCat-Flash-Lite outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, MMLU).
Qwen3 235B A22B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, LongCat-Flash-Lite ($0.10/1M tokens) costs the same as Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, LongCat-Flash-Lite ($0.40/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, LongCat-Flash-Lite 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 166.5B more parameters than LongCat-Flash-Lite, making it 243.1% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
LongCat-Flash-Lite accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3 235B A22B's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
LongCat-Flash-Lite is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3 235B A22B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
LongCat-Flash-Lite was released on 2026-02-05, while Qwen3 235B A22B was released on 2025-04-29.
LongCat-Flash-Lite is 9 months newer than Qwen3 235B A22B.
Feb 5, 2026
5 months ago
9mo newerApr 29, 2025
1.2 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
LongCat-Flash-Lite is available from Meituan. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.
LongCat-Flash-Lite
Qwen3 235B A22B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 235B A22B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against LongCat-Flash-Lite and Qwen3 235B A22B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about LongCat-Flash-Lite vs Qwen3 235B A22B.