Model Comparison
o1-preview vs Qwen3 30B A3BWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 30B A3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Qwen3 30B A3B is 175.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: o1-preview vs Qwen3 30B A3B — which is better?
o1-preview (by OpenAI) and Qwen3 30B A3B (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.
o1-preview outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 30B A3B is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, LiveBench). Qwen3 30B A3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 30B A3B is roughly 175.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Choose o1-preview if…
- you want predictable pricing at $15.00/M input and $60.00/M output
Choose Qwen3 30B A3B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 175.0x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
o1-preview outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 30B A3B is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, LiveBench).
Qwen3 30B A3B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, o1-preview ($15.00/1M tokens) is 150.0x more expensive than Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, o1-preview ($60.00/1M tokens) is 200.0x more expensive than Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.30/1M tokens).
In conclusion, o1-preview is more expensive than Qwen3 30B A3B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 30B A3B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while o1-preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
o1-preview is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 30B A3B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
o1-preview was released on 2024-09-12, while Qwen3 30B A3B was released on 2025-04-29.
Qwen3 30B A3B is 8 months newer than o1-preview.
Sep 12, 2024
1.8 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.2 years ago
7mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
o1-preview is available from OpenAI, Azure. Qwen3 30B A3B is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Fireworks.
o1-preview
Qwen3 30B A3B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
o1-preview
View detailsOpenAI
Qwen3 30B A3B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about o1-preview vs Qwen3 30B A3B.