Model Comparison
Phi 4 vs Qwen3 235B A22BWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 235B A22B has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Phi 4 is 1.1x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Phi 4 vs Qwen3 235B A22B — which is better?
Phi 4 (by Microsoft) and Qwen3 235B A22B (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 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 4 benchmarks (Arena Hard, LiveBench, MGSM, MMLU). Qwen3 235B A22B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
On price, Phi 4 is roughly 1.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 235B A22B also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Phi 4 if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.1x cheaper per token
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 7 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Phi 4 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU-Pro), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 4 benchmarks (Arena Hard, LiveBench, MGSM, MMLU).
Qwen3 235B A22B has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Phi 4 ($0.07/1M tokens) is 1.4x cheaper than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Phi 4 ($0.14/1M tokens) is 1.4x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 235B A22B is more expensive than Phi 4.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 235B A22B has 220.3B more parameters than Phi 4, making it 1498.6% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 235B A22B accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,000 tokens. Qwen3 235B A22B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Phi 4 is limited to 16,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Phi 4 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.
MIT
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Phi 4 was released on 2024-12-12, while Qwen3 235B A22B was released on 2025-04-29.
Qwen3 235B A22B is 5 months newer than Phi 4.
Dec 12, 2024
1.5 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
4mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Phi 4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Phi 4's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date.
Jun 2024
—
Provider Availability
Phi 4 is available from DeepInfra. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.
Phi 4
Qwen3 235B A22B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Phi 4
View detailsMicrosoft
Qwen3 235B A22B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|
FAQ
Common questions about Phi 4 vs Qwen3 235B A22B.