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Head-to-head comparison

Phi 4 vs Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct

Phi 4 (Microsoft) and Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct (Qwen) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#191 vs #198); Phi 4 is 3× cheaper per output token ($0.14/1M vs $0.416/1M); and Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct offers the longer context window (131K vs 16K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Phi 4 if…

  • API cost matters — $0.14/1M output tokens against $0.416/1M, about 3× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.07/1M against $0.104/1M.

Choose Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #191 against #198 (13.8 vs 8.1 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 131K tokens against 16K.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 11.0 against 4.6.
  • AA τ²-Bench Telecom is your yardstick — 29.2% against 0.0%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 6.8% against 3.8%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct was listed 23 October 2025, Phi 4 10 January 2025.

Phi 4 vs Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Phi 4 and Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct
FieldPhi 4MicrosoftQwen3 VL 32B InstructQwen
ModelCap Index position#198#191
Index score8.113.8
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.07$0.104
Output price / 1M tokens$0.14$0.416
Context window16K tokens131K tokens
Max output tokens15K33K
API providers listed11
Weight accessOpen weightsOpen weights
Input modalitiesTextText, Image
First listed10 January 202523 October 2025
PublisherMicrosoftQwen

Evidence: 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards · 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Phi 4 vs Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct

Public benchmark boards where Phi 4 or Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct has a published result
BoardPhi 4Qwen3 VL 32B InstructLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13061296–1316—Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)28.8Prompt—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis4.6intelligence-index11.0intelligence-indexQwen3 VL 32B Instruct
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis0.0%tau2-bench-telecom29.2%tau2-bench-telecomQwen3 VL 32B Instruct
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis3.8%humanitys-last-exam6.8%humanitys-last-examQwen3 VL 32B Instruct

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Phi 4 vs Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct: common questions

Is Phi 4 better than Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct?

Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #191 against #198. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is Phi 4 cheaper than Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct?

Phi 4 is cheaper on output tokens: $0.14/1M against $0.416/1M. Input tokens are $0.07/1M for Phi 4 and $0.104/1M for Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Phi 4 or Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct?

Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct has the larger context window: 131K tokens against 16K.

Which is better for coding, Phi 4 or Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Phi 4 and Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct open-weight models?

Phi 4: Open weights. Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct: Open weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Phi 4 and Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Phi 4 and 1 for Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Phi 4 vs Qwen3 VL 32B Instruct comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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