Magistral Small 2506 vs Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Mistral AI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Magistral Small 2506 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Magistral Small 2506
- you are already invested in the Mistral AI ecosystem
Choose Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Magistral Small 2506 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Magistral Small 2506 has 20.0B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking, making it 500.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking specifies input context (262,144 tokens). Only Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking specifies output context (262,144 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas Magistral Small 2506 does not.
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Magistral Small 2506
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Magistral Small 2506 was released on 2025-06-10, while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking is 3 months newer than Magistral Small 2506.
Jun 10, 2025
1.2 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
11 months ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Magistral Small 2506 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-06-01, while Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Magistral Small 2506's training data extends to 2025-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking's cutoff date.
Jun 2025
—
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Magistral Small 2506 and Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Magistral Small 2506 vs Qwen3 VL 4B Thinking.