Model Comparison

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Qwen3 VL 4B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 3.6x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct — which is better?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct (by Microsoft) and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct (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-4-multimodal-instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (AI2D, BLINK, MMMU-Pro, OCRBench). Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is roughly 3.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Phi-4-multimodal-instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 3.6x cheaper per token

Choose Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 4 benchmarks (AI2D, BLINK, MMMU-Pro, OCRBench).

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct costs less

For input processing, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.05/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens) is 6.0x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.60/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

1.6B diff

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has 1.6B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct, making it 40.0% larger.

Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
5.6Bparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
4.0Bparameters
5.6B
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
4.0B
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Phi-4-multimodal-instruct's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is limited to 128,000 tokens.

Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct support multimodal inputs.

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

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct was released on 2025-02-01, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is 8 months newer than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Feb 1, 2025

1.5 years ago

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

Sep 22, 2025

10 months ago

7mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Phi-4-multimodal-instruct's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct's cutoff date.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Jun 2024

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

—

Provider Availability

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is available from DeepInfra. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Microsoft
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Higher AI2D score (84.1% vs 82.3%)
Higher BLINK score (65.8% vs 61.3%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (53.2% vs 38.5%)
Higher OCRBench score (88.1% vs 84.4%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
✓ Preferred
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.

Which is better, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct or Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct?

Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is made by Microsoft and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct 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-4-multimodal-instruct compare to Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct in benchmarks?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct scores ScienceQA Visual: 97.5%, DocVQA: 93.2%, MMBench: 86.7%, POPE: 85.6%, OCRBench: 84.4%. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct scores DocVQAtest: 95.3%, ScreenSpot: 94.0%, OCRBench: 88.1%, MMBench-V1.1: 85.1%, AI2D: 84.1%.

Is Phi-4-multimodal-instruct cheaper than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct costs $0.10/M input and $0.60/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct supports 128K tokens and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct 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 Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 262K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $0.10/M), licensing (MIT vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is developed by Microsoft and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons