Model Comparison

Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 30B A3B is 4.4x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Qwen3 30B A3B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA, Multi-IF).

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun May 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3 30B A3B costs less

For input processing, Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 1.8x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking ($0.18/1M tokens).

For output processing, Qwen3 30B A3B ($0.30/1M tokens) is 7.0x cheaper than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking ($2.09/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is more expensive than Qwen3 30B A3B.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers

Sun May 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Qwen3 30B A3B

Input tokens$0.10

Output tokens$0.30

Best providerDeepinfra

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Input tokens$0.18

Output tokens$2.09

Best providerDeepinfra

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

21.5B diff

Qwen3 30B A3B has 21.5B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking, making it 238.9% larger.

Qwen3 30B A3B

30.5Bparameters

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

9.0Bparameters

30.5B

Qwen3 30B A3B

9.0B

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Qwen3 30B A3B's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Qwen3 30B A3B is limited to 128,000 tokens.

Qwen3 30B A3B

Input128,000 tokens

Output128,000 tokens

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Input262,144 tokens

Output262,144 tokens

Sun May 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 30B A3B does not.

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Qwen3 30B A3B

Text

Images

Audio

Video

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Text

Images

Audio

Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

Qwen3 30B A3B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Qwen3 30B A3B was released on 2025-04-29, while Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking was released on 2025-09-22.

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is 5 months newer than Qwen3 30B A3B.

Qwen3 30B A3B

Apr 29, 2025

1.1 years ago

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Sep 22, 2025

8 months ago

4mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Qwen3 30B A3B is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Fireworks. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking is available from DeepInfra.

Qwen3 30B A3B

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.30/1M

Novita

Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.44/1M

Fireworks

Input Price:Input: $0.89/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.89/1M

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

Deepinfra

Input Price:Input: $0.18/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.09/1M

* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Qwen3 30B A3B

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Less expensive input tokens

Less expensive output tokens

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (262,144 tokens)

Supports multimodal inputs

Higher AIME 2025 score (80.3% vs 70.9%)

Higher GPQA score (69.9% vs 65.8%)

Higher Multi-IF score (75.1% vs 72.2%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature	Qwen3 30B A3B	Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking

FAQ

Common questions about Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking.

Which is better, Qwen3 30B A3B or Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 30B A3B is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking 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 Qwen3 30B A3B compare to Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking in benchmarks?

Qwen3 30B A3B scores Arena Hard: 91.0%, AIME 2024: 80.4%, LiveBench: 74.3%, Multi-IF: 72.2%, AIME 2025: 70.9%. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking scores DocVQAtest: 95.3%, ScreenSpot: 93.6%, MMLU-Redux: 88.8%, MMBench-V1.1: 87.5%, InfoVQAtest: 86.0%.

Is Qwen3 30B A3B cheaper than Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Qwen3 30B A3B is 1.8x cheaper for input tokens. Qwen3 30B A3B costs $0.10/M input and $0.30/M output via deepinfra. Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking costs $0.18/M input and $2.09/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Qwen3 30B A3B and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Qwen3 30B A3B supports 128K tokens and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking 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 Qwen3 30B A3B and Qwen3 VL 8B Thinking?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 262K), input pricing ($0.10 vs $0.18/M), multimodal support (no vs yes). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.