Model Comparison
Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 VL 4B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 30B A3B is 1.5x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct — which is better?
Qwen3 30B A3B (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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.
Qwen3 30B A3B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 30B A3B is roughly 1.5x 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 Qwen3 30B A3B if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.5x cheaper per token
Choose Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct if…
- 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
Qwen3 30B A3B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
Qwen3 30B A3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.10/1M tokens) costs the same as Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.30/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is more expensive than Qwen3 30B A3B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 30B A3B has 26.5B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct, making it 662.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Qwen3 30B A3B's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Qwen3 30B A3B is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 30B A3B does not.
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Qwen3 30B A3B
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
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
Qwen3 30B A3B was released on 2025-04-29, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is 5 months newer than Qwen3 30B A3B.
Apr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
Sep 22, 2025
8 months ago
4mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Qwen3 30B A3B is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Fireworks. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.
Qwen3 30B A3B
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 30B A3B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.