Model Comparison

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22B

Qwen3 235B A22B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct and Qwen3 235B A22B cost the same.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

9 benchmarks

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 9 benchmarks (Arena Hard, GPQA, GSM8k, MATH, MBPP, MGSM, MMLU, MMLU-Pro, MMMLU).

Qwen3 235B A22B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu May 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

For input processing, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens) costs the same as Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens) costs the same as Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct and Qwen3 235B A22B cost the same.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers

Thu May 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Input tokens$0.10

Output tokens$0.10

Best providerAzure

Qwen3 235B A22B

Input tokens$0.10

Output tokens$0.10

Best providerFireworks

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

231.2B diff

Qwen3 235B A22B has 231.2B more parameters than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct, making it 6084.2% larger.

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

3.8Bparameters

Qwen3 235B A22B

235.0Bparameters

3.8B

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

235.0B

Qwen3 235B A22B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Input128,000 tokens

Output128,000 tokens

Qwen3 235B A22B

Input128,000 tokens

Output128,000 tokens

Thu May 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct 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.

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Qwen3 235B A22B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct was released on 2024-08-23, while Qwen3 235B A22B was released on 2025-04-29.

Qwen3 235B A22B is 8 months newer than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

1.7 years ago

Qwen3 235B A22B

Apr 29, 2025

1.0 years ago

8mo newer

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

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Azure

Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

Qwen3 235B A22B

Fireworks

Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M

Novita

Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.80/1M

Together

Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M

* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

View details

Microsoft

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Qwen3 235B A22B

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher Arena Hard score (95.6% vs 37.0%)

Higher GPQA score (47.5% vs 30.4%)

Higher GSM8k score (94.4% vs 86.2%)

Higher MATH score (71.8% vs 48.5%)

Higher MBPP score (81.4% vs 69.6%)

Higher MGSM score (83.5% vs 47.9%)

Higher MMLU score (87.8% vs 69.0%)

Higher MMLU-Pro score (68.2% vs 47.4%)

Higher MMMLU score (86.7% vs 55.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature	Phi-3.5-mini-instruct	Qwen3 235B A22B

FAQ

Common questions about Phi-3.5-mini-instruct vs Qwen3 235B A22B.

Which is better, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct or Qwen3 235B A22B?

Qwen3 235B A22B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is made by Microsoft and Qwen3 235B A22B 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 Phi-3.5-mini-instruct compare to Qwen3 235B A22B in benchmarks?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct scores GSM8k: 86.2%, ARC-C: 84.6%, RULER: 84.1%, PIQA: 81.0%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%. Qwen3 235B A22B scores Arena Hard: 95.6%, GSM8k: 94.4%, BBH: 88.9%, MMLU: 87.8%, MMLU-Redux: 87.4%.

Is Phi-3.5-mini-instruct cheaper than Qwen3 235B A22B?

Both models cost $0.10 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for Phi-3.5-mini-instruct and Qwen3 235B A22B?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct supports 128K tokens and Qwen3 235B A22B supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Phi-3.5-mini-instruct and Qwen3 235B A22B?

Key differences include licensing (MIT vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Phi-3.5-mini-instruct and Qwen3 235B A22B?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is developed by Microsoft and Qwen3 235B A22B is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.