Model Comparison

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 8B ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is 1.1x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking — which is better?

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) (by Mistral AI) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking (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.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SimpleQA). Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is roughly 1.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025

Choose Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.1x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SimpleQA).

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking costs less

For input processing, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) ($0.50/1M tokens) is 2.8x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking ($0.18/1M tokens).

For output processing, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) ($1.50/1M tokens) is 1.4x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking ($2.09/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com
Mistral AI
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerMistral
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
Input tokens$0.18
Output tokens$2.09
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

666.0B diff

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) has 666.0B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking, making it 7400.0% larger.

Mistral AI
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
675.0Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
9.0Bparameters
675.0B
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
9.0B
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)'s 262,100 tokens. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is limited to 262,100 tokens.

Mistral AI
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
Input262,100 tokens
Output262,100 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) was released on 2025-12-04, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)

Dec 4, 2025

7 months ago

2mo newer
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Sep 22, 2025

10 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is available from Mistral AI. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is available from DeepInfra.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.18/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.09/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Mistral AI
Less expensive output tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Higher GPQA score (69.9% vs 43.9%)
Higher SimpleQA score (49.6% vs 23.8%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
✓ Preferred
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Mistral AI
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

FAQ

Common questions about Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.

Which is better, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) or Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is made by Mistral AI and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking 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 Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) compare to Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking in benchmarks?

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) scores MMMLU: 85.5%, AMC_2022_23: 52.0%, GPQA: 43.9%, LiveCodeBench: 34.4%, SimpleQA: 23.8%. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking scores DocVQAtest: 95.3%, ScreenSpot: 93.6%, MMLU-Redux: 88.8%, MMBench-V1.1: 87.5%, InfoVQAtest: 86.0%.

Is Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) cheaper than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is 2.8x cheaper for input tokens. Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) costs $0.50/M input and $1.50/M output via mistral. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking costs $0.18/M input and $2.09/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) supports 262K tokens and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking supports 262K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Key differences include context window (262K vs 262K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.18/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is developed by Mistral AI and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons