Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Qwen3 235B delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,440 vs 1,405), while Qwen3 235B leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (59.4%), while Qwen3 235B is more budget-friendly at $0.88/1M per 1M output tokens, while Grok 3 provides faster response streaming (88 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
8 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Previous xAI generation before Grok 4. Kept for grok 3 vs grok 4.
Open-weight Qwen3 mixture-of-experts.
Δ 35 Arena Elo pts
88 tok/s
$0.88 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Grok 3 | Qwen3 235B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +35 | ||
| LiveBench | +3.3% | ||
| SWE-bench | +8% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +2.6% | ||
| Time to first token | +70 ms | ||
| Output speed | 88 tok/s | 74 tok/s | +14 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.22/1M | +$2.78/1M | |
| Output price | $0.88/1M | +$14.12/1M | |
| Context window | — |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Qwen3 235B is estimated to save $309.10/month ($3,709/year).
Higher SWE-bench (59.4%).
Lower output list price ($0.88/1M).
Lower TTFT (250 ms).
Larger window (131k).
Grok 3 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Qwen3 235B | Higher SWE-bench (59.4%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen3 235B | Lower output list price ($0.88/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Grok 3 | Lower TTFT (250 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Grok 3 | Larger window (131k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Grok 3 | Grok 3 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
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