Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct vs Solar Pro 3
Solar Pro 3 leads Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 7.8 to 7.3, and Solar Pro 3 costs 1.3x less per output token ($0.60 vs $0.75 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 7 benchmarks have a result for both.
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct or Solar Pro 3: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct for a larger context window (262K against 131K tokens) and work measured by Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) or AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 7
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct only
- 4
- Solar Pro 3 only
- 3
- Like-for-like categories
- 5 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
Solar Pro 3
Solar Pro 3 leads, 7.8 against 7.3.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Solar Pro 3 has a AA Agentic Index result, 1.4.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct takes 262K tokens against 131K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Solar Pro 3
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct $0.0006, Solar Pro 3 $0.0004 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct not benchmarked, Solar Pro 3 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Agentic work, 57.0 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- τ²-Bench Telecom: Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct 29.2% against Solar Pro 3 86.3%, 57.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct $0.75 against Solar Pro 3 $0.60 per million output tokens, 1.3x apart.
- Context window
- Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct takes 262K tokens, Solar Pro 3 131K.
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 8B Instruct | Bars | Solar Pro 3 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 1 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Agentic work | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 2 | ||
| General | 1 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 1 | 6 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index01
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | Not measured | 16.2 | Only Solar Pro 3 measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 35.3% | Not measured | Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct measured |
| SciCode | Not measured | 25.5% | Only Solar Pro 3 measured |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 3.8% | 7.6% | Solar Pro 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 7.3 | 7.8 | Solar Pro 3 |
| 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 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | Not measured | 1.4 | Only Solar Pro 3 measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 29.2% | 86.3% | Solar Pro 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 57.9% | 72.4% | Solar Pro 3 |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 3.8% | 10.3% | Solar Pro 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 30.7 | Not measured | Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct measured |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 30.7% | Not measured | Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 74.9% | Not measured | Only Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index11
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 39.9% | 71.2% | Solar Pro 3 |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 33.3% | 32.3% | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct |
| 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 | Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct | Solar Pro 3 | 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
Solar Pro 3 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Solar Pro 3 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Solar Pro 3 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 8B Instruct | Upstage Solar Pro 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qwen | Upstage |
| Weights | Open weights | No public weights listed |
| Released | October 14, 2025 | January 27, 2026 |
| Context window | 262K | 131K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.25 | $0.15 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.75 | $0.60 |
| 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 8B Instruct better than Solar Pro 3 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct for a larger context window (262K against 131K tokens) and work measured by Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) or AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct or Solar Pro 3?
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct costs $0.25 per million input tokens and $0.75 per million output tokens; Solar Pro 3 costs $0.15 and $0.60. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct or Solar Pro 3?
Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct, with 262K tokens against 131K.
How many benchmarks is the Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct vs Solar Pro 3 comparison based on?
7 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Qwen3 VL 8B Instruct's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Solar Pro 3's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.