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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Llama-3.2-3B vs Qwen-VL Plus

Qwen-VL Plus comes out ahead, 57 to 49 on our weighted score, though Llama-3.2-3B is 2× cheaper per token.

  1. Meta

    Llama-3.2-3B

    Released Sep 25, 2024

    49/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.335
    • Context131K
  2. Our pick

    Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen-VL Plus

    Released Jan 25, 2024

    57/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.21 / $0.63
    • Context131K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Qwen-VL Plus is our pick

Qwen-VL Plus is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against Llama-3.2-3B (49). It leads on inputs & features. Llama-3.2-3B wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceLlama-3.2-3BLlama-3.2-3B $0.159 · Qwen-VL Plus $0.315 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameLlama-3.2-3B 131,072 · Qwen-VL Plus 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsQwen-VL PlusLlama-3.2-3B: Text · Qwen-VL Plus: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingLlama-3.2-3BPublishes downloadable weights (Llama 3.2 Community License)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightLlama-3.2-3BQwen-VL Plus
Price50%8874
Inputs & features30%050
Context window20%2424
Overall100%49/10057/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Llama-3.2-3B vs Qwen-VL Plus specifications side by side
SpecificationLlama-3.2-3BMetaQwen-VL PlusAlibaba (Qwen)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.10 (best)$0.21
Output$0.335 (best)$0.63
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.159 (best)$0.315
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 3 providersOfficial Alibaba API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Max output8,192 tokens8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingNoYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenLlama 3.2 Community LicenseProprietary
API model ID—qwen-vl-plus
API providers3 (best)2
ReleasedSep 25, 2024Jan 25, 2024
Knowledge cutoffDec 2023Apr 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Llama-3.2-3B$1.67
  • Qwen-VL Plus$3.36
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Llama-3.2-3B or Qwen-VL Plus?

Qwen-VL Plus is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against Llama-3.2-3B (49). It leads on inputs & features. Llama-3.2-3B wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Llama-3.2-3B or Qwen-VL Plus?

Llama-3.2-3B is cheaper at $0.10 input / $0.335 output per million tokens (median across 3 API providers). Qwen-VL Plus costs $0.21 input / $0.63 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.159 per million tokens for Llama-3.2-3B versus $0.315 for Qwen-VL Plus (2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Llama-3.2-3B has not been scored yet and Qwen-VL Plus has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Llama-3.2-3B and Qwen-VL Plus yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Note that Llama-3.2-3B does not support tool calling, which most coding agents need.

Which has the bigger context window?

Llama-3.2-3B and Qwen-VL Plus share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Llama-3.2-3B up to 8,192, Qwen-VL Plus up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Llama-3.2-3B accepts text; Qwen-VL Plus accepts text and images. Qwen-VL Plus handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Llama-3.2-3B publishes its weights (Llama 3.2 Community License) and can be self-hosted; Qwen-VL Plus is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Llama-3.2-3B is the newest, released Sep 25, 2024. Qwen-VL Plus came out Jan 25, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Llama-3.2-3B Dec 2023, Qwen-VL Plus Apr 2024.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.