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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) vs Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct comes out ahead, 39 to 34 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)

    Released Sep 2025

    34/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.50 / $6.00
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)
  2. Our pick

    Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct

    Released Sep 2025

    39/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.50 / $2.00
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct is our pick

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct is the better all-round choice, scoring 39/100 against Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) (34). It leads on price. Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) wins on inputs & features. 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 priceQwen3-Next 80B-A3B InstructQwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct $0.875 · Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) $1.88 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) 131,072 · Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking): Text · Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct
Price50%3753
Inputs & features30%3525
Context window20%2424
Overall100%34/10039/100

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.

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) vs Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct specifications side by side
SpecificationQwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B InstructAlibaba (Qwen)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.50$0.50
Output$6.00$2.00 (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$1.88$0.875 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Alibaba APIOfficial Alibaba API
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens131,072 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDqwen3-next-80b-a3b-thinkingqwen3-next-80b-a3b-instruct
API providers1013 (best)
ReleasedSep 2025Sep 2025
Knowledge cutoffApr 2025Apr 2025
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.

  • Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking)$17.00
  • Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct$9.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) or Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct?

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct is the better all-round choice, scoring 39/100 against Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) (34). It leads on price. Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) wins on inputs & features. 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, Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) or Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct?

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct is cheaper at $0.50 input / $2.00 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) costs $0.50 input / $6.00 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.875 per million tokens for Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct versus $1.88 for Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) (2.1× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) has not been scored yet and Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) and Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) and Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct share the same 131,072-token context window. Maximum output per response: Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) up to 32,768, Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) accepts text; Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) is the newest, released Sep 2025. Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct came out Sep 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B (Thinking) Apr 2025, Qwen3-Next 80B-A3B Instruct Apr 2025.

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.

05 — Keep comparing

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