GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini leads Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 20.4 to 7.3, and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs 2.7x less per output token ($0.75 vs $2.00 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 11 benchmarks have a result for both.
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini for a larger context window (400K against 262K tokens).
- Shared results
- 11
- GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini only
- 11
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct only
- 0
- Like-for-like categories
- 7 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini leads, 20.4 against 7.3.
Same board, both measured
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has a Design Arena: websites result, 1111.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini takes 400K tokens against 262K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini $0.0013, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct $0.0006 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini not benchmarked, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Math, 61.0 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- AA Math Index: GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini 91.7 against Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct 30.7, 61.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini $2.00 against Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct $0.75 per million output tokens, 2.7x apart.
- Context window
- GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini takes 400K tokens, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct 262K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Bars | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 0 | ||
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Agentic work | 1 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 2 | 0 | ||
| Math | 2 | 0 | ||
| Knowledge | 1 | 0 | ||
| General | 2 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 11 | 0 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena WebDev | 1244 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 83.6% | 35.3% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 33.3% | 3.8% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Terminal-Bench | 61.6% | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| LMArena WebDev: HTML | 1253 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 34 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 20.4 | 7.3 | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 62.9% | 29.2% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 81.3% | 57.9% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 18.5% | 3.8% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 91.7 | 30.7 | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 91.7% | 30.7% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 82.0% | 74.9% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index8 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1111 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: UI components | 1081 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 1092 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: data viz | 1097 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | 988 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1094 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: SVG | 978 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Design Arena: ASCII art | 1105 | Not measured | Only GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 67.9% | 39.9% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 66.7% | 33.3% | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
| Neither model has a result on the other 44 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | OpenAI GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | OpenAI | Qwen |
| Weights | No public weights listed | Open weights |
| Released | November 13, 2025 | October 14, 2025 |
| Context window | 400K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.25 | $0.25 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.00 | $0.75 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 1 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini better than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini for a larger context window (400K against 262K tokens).
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini costs $0.25 per million input tokens and $2.00 per million output tokens; Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs $0.25 and $0.75. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini, with 400K tokens against 262K.
How many benchmarks is the GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct comparison based on?
11 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini's coding index rests on 1 independent benchmark and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.