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Head-to-head comparison

Qwen3 235B A22B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct

Qwen3 235B A22B (Qwen) and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B 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 7 November 2026

As of 7 November 2026, Qwen3 235B A22B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#110 vs #119); and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct offers the longer context window (262K vs 131K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Qwen3 235B A22B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #110 against #119 (53.6 vs 52.4 points).
  • Arena text is your yardstick — 1402 against 1398.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1444 against 1444.

Choose Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct if…

  • you need the longer context window — 262K tokens against 131K.
  • you want provider choice — 2 listed API providers against 0.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct was listed 11 September 2025, Qwen3 235B A22B 28 April 2025.

Qwen3 235B A22B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Qwen3 235B A22B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct
FieldQwen3 235B A22BQwenQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructQwen
ModelCap Index position#110#119
Index score53.652.4
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokensUnlisted$0.09
Output price / 1M tokensUnlisted$1.10
Context window131K tokens262K tokens
Declared route output cap8K16K
API providers listed02
Weight accessOpen weightsOpen weights
Input modalitiesTextText
First listed28 April 202511 September 2025
PublisherQwenQwen

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Qwen3 235B A22B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct

Public benchmark boards where Qwen3 235B A22B or Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has a published result
BoardQwen3 235B A22BQwen3 Next 80B A3B InstructLeads
Arena textArena (LMArena)14021398–1407Non-thinking13981394–1403Not reportedQwen3 235B A22B
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14441437–1452Non-thinking14441435–1453Qwen3 235B A22B

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.

Qwen3 235B A22B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct: common questions

Is Qwen3 235B A22B better than Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct?

Qwen3 235B A22B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 7 November 2026: #110 against #119. 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. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is Qwen3 235B A22B cheaper than Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct?

At least one of the two has no listed API price on ModelCap right now, so no price comparison is made.

Which has the bigger context window, Qwen3 235B A22B or Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct?

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct has the larger context window: 262K tokens against 131K. OpenRouter catalogue or provider-endpoint declaration. Limits can vary by provider and prompt length; a model-wide maximum has not been independently verified.

Which is better for coding, Qwen3 235B A22B or Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct?

Arena coding: Qwen3 235B A22B 1444, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct 1444 — Qwen3 235B A22B leads.

Are Qwen3 235B A22B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct open-weight models?

Qwen3 235B A22B: Open weights. Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct: Open weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence. A missing weight link does not identify every API or chat product that offers a model.

Where can I run Qwen3 235B A22B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct?

ModelCap currently lists 0 API providers for Qwen3 235B A22B and 2 for Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Qwen3 235B A22B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct comparison?

Every figure and ModelCap Index position comes from the same published snapshot dated 7 November 2026. Publication and page updates happen separately; use the snapshot date shown on the page.

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