Model Comparison
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct vs Qwen3 30B A3BWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 1.5x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Phi-3.5-mini-instruct vs Qwen3 30B A3B — which is better?
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (by Microsoft) 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.
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 30B A3B is better at 2 benchmarks (Arena Hard, GPQA). Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is roughly 1.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Choose Phi-3.5-mini-instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.5x cheaper per token
Choose Qwen3 30B A3B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 30B A3B is better at 2 benchmarks (Arena Hard, GPQA).
Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
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 30B A3B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.30/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 30B A3B is more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 30B A3B has 26.7B more parameters than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct, making it 702.6% larger.
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.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3 30B A3B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
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 30B A3B was released on 2025-04-29.
Qwen3 30B A3B is 8 months newer than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.
Aug 23, 2024
1.8 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
8mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure. Qwen3 30B A3B is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Fireworks.
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Qwen3 30B A3B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
View detailsMicrosoft
Qwen3 30B A3B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Phi-3.5-mini-instruct vs Qwen3 30B A3B.