Model Comparison
Pixtral-12B vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-BaseWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing Pixtral-12B and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: Pixtral-12B vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base — which is better?
Pixtral-12B (by Mistral AI) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base (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.
Choose Pixtral-12B if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.15/M output
Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Pixtral-12B and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Basedon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base has 67.6B more parameters than Pixtral-12B, making it 545.2% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Pixtral-12B specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Pixtral-12B specifies output context (8,192 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Pixtral-12B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base does not.
Pixtral-12B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Pixtral-12B
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base was released on 2025-09-10.
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base is 12 months newer than Pixtral-12B.
Sep 17, 2024
1.7 years ago
Sep 10, 2025
9 months ago
11mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Pixtral-12B
View detailsMistral AI
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Pixtral-12B vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Base.