Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct leads Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 7.9 to 7.3, at about the same output price ($0.70 vs $0.75 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 10 benchmarks have a result for both.
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct for output tokens 1.1x cheaper ($0.70 vs $0.75 per million) and work measured by τ²-Bench Telecom, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 10
- Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct only
- 0
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct only
- 1
- 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
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct leads, 7.9 against 7.3.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
No call
Both take 262K tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct $0.0006, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct $0.0006 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct not benchmarked, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Math, 51.6 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run): Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct 82.3% against Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct 30.7%, 51.7 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct $0.70 against Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct $0.75 per million output tokens, 1.1x apart.
- Context window
- Both take 262K tokens.
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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Bars | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 0 | ||
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Agentic work | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 2 | 0 | ||
| Math | 2 | 0 | ||
| Knowledge | 1 | 0 | ||
| General | 1 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 9 | 1 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 69.7% | 35.3% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 6.1% | 3.8% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Neither model has a result on the other 41 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 7.9 | 7.3 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 19.9% | 29.2% | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct |
| Neither model has a result on the other 41 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 72.0% | 57.9% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 8.9% | 3.8% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Neither model has a result on the other 21 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 82.3 | 30.7 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 82.3% | 30.7% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Neither model has a result on the other 12 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 80.7% | 74.9% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Neither model has a result on the other 19 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 45.1% | 39.9% | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 33.3% | Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 46 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | 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 30B A3B Instruct costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qwen | Qwen |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | October 6, 2025 | October 14, 2025 |
| Context window | 262K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.20 | $0.25 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.70 | $0.75 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct better than Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct for output tokens 1.1x cheaper ($0.70 vs $0.75 per million) and work measured by τ²-Bench Telecom, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct costs $0.20 per million input tokens and $0.70 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, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct or Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct?
Neither: both take 262K tokens.
How many benchmarks is the Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct vs Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct comparison based on?
10 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Instruct's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.