Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking are closely matched at 11.2 and 18.3 on the LLM Stats Score. Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is 4.0x cheaper per token.
Mistral AI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 11.2 and 18.3.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is roughly 4.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) also accepts a larger context window (131,100 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)
- cost matters — it's about 4.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 131,100 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
Choose Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) · 50 for Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA).
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) ($0.10/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) ($0.10/1M tokens) is 9.9x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking ($0.99/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking is more expensive than Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512).*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking has 28.0B more parameters than Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512), making it 933.3% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) accepts 131,100 input tokens compared to Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking's 131,072 tokens. Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) can generate longer responses up to 131,100 tokens, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B 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
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) was released on 2025-12-04, while Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking.
Dec 4, 2025
9 months ago
2mo newerSep 22, 2025
12 months 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
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is available from Mistral AI. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking is available from Novita, DeepInfra.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) and Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking.
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