Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3.8-27B
Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Qwen3 30B A3B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8-27B is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Qwen3 30B A3B
- you want predictable pricing at $0.10/M input and $0.30/M output
Choose Qwen3.8-27B
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Qwen3 30B A3B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8-27B is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 30B A3B has 2.7B more parameters than Qwen3.8-27B, making it 9.8% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Qwen3 30B A3B specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Qwen3 30B A3B specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Qwen3.8-27B supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 30B A3B does not.
Qwen3.8-27B can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Qwen3 30B A3B
Qwen3.8-27B
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 Qwen3.8-27B was released on 2026-08-14.
Qwen3.8-27B is 16 months newer than Qwen3 30B A3B.
Apr 29, 2025
1.3 years ago
Aug 14, 2026
1 weeks ago
1.3yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Qwen3 30B A3B and Qwen3.8-27B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Qwen3 30B A3B vs Qwen3.8-27B.