Alternatives · 15 models compared · checked 10 Oct 2026
Qwen3 30B A3B alternatives: 15 models in or near grid C2
The closest model to Qwen3 30B A3B on the atlas is Qwen2.5 7B Instruct, in the same square, at $0.10 per 1M input tokens against Qwen3 30B A3B’s . 6 of the 15 nearest models are cheaper on input; the cheapest is Llama 3.2 1B Instruct at $0.03. We rank by position on the atlas, not by capability, because we hold no capability data.
$0.12
observed We measured
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- Our catalogue
- Retrieved
- 1 Sep 2026
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ModelsAtlas. “Qwen3 30B A3B alternatives: 15 models in or near grid C2”. Retrieved 10 Oct 2026. https://modelsatlas.com/models/qwen/3-30b-a3b/alternatives
Where the alternatives sit
Each square is a price band (A–H) × a context band (1–6). How the grid works
Same squareGRIDC26 modelsCommand R (08-2024), Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image), Qwen2.5 7B Instruct and 3 more
Qwen3 30B A3BIts 15 nearest modelsOther modelsOpen weights
View the map as a table (3 squares)
| Square | Price band | Context band | Models |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRIDB2 | <$0.10 | 32–128K | Llama 3.2 1B Instruct, Command R7B (12-2024), Mistral Small 3 |
| GRIDC2 | $0.10–0.30 | 32–128K | Qwen3 30B A3B, Qwen2.5 7B Instruct, Voxtral Small 24B 2507, Qwen3 14B, Command R (08-2024), Saba, Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image) |
| GRIDC3 | $0.10–0.30 | 128–256K | Ministral 3 3B 2512, Llama Guard 4 12B, Nemotron 3.5 Content Safety, MiniMax M2.7, Llama 3.3 70B Instruct, DeepSeek V3.1 |
Top 15 alternatives
Ranked by steps away on the atlas, then cheaper before pricier, then input price
| # | Model | Grid | Why it fits | Input / 1M | vs Qwen3 30B A3B | Output / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Qwen3 30B A3BQwen (Alibaba) · the model you’re replacing | GRIDC2 | Baseline | $0.12 | — | $0.50 | 41K | |
| 1 | Qwen2.5 7B InstructQwen (Alibaba) · open weights | GRIDC2 | Same maker, same square, 17% cheaper input, open weights | $0.10 | −17% | $0.20 | 33K | Compare → |
| 2 | Voxtral Small 24B 2507Mistral AI | GRIDC2 | Same square, 17% cheaper input | $0.10 | −17% | $0.30 | 33K | Compare → |
| 3 | Qwen3 14BQwen (Alibaba) · open weights | GRIDC2 | Same maker, same square, same input price, open weights | $0.12 | same | $0.24 | 41K | Compare → |
| 4 | Command R (08-2024)Cohere | GRIDC2 | Same square, 25% pricier input, 3.1× the context | $0.15 | +25% | $0.60 | 128K | Compare → |
| 5 | SabaMistral AI | GRIDC2 | Same square, 67% pricier input | $0.20 | +67% | $0.60 | 33K | Compare → |
| 6 | Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image)Google | GRIDC2 | Same square, 108% pricier input, 1.6× the context | $0.25 | +108% | $1.50 | 66K | Compare → |
| 7 | Llama 3.2 1B InstructMeta | GRIDB2 | Neighbouring square B2, 78% cheaper input, 1.5× the context | $0.03 | −77% | $0.20 | 60K | |
| 8 | Command R7B (12-2024)Cohere | GRIDB2 | Neighbouring square B2, 69% cheaper input, 3.1× the context | $0.04 | −69% | $0.15 | 128K | |
| 9 | Mistral Small 3Mistral AI | GRIDB2 | Neighbouring square B2, 58% cheaper input | $0.05 | −58% | $0.08 | 33K | |
| 10 | Ministral 3 3B 2512Mistral AI | GRIDC3 | Neighbouring square C3, 17% cheaper input, 3.2× the context | $0.10 | −17% | $0.10 | 131K | |
| 11 | Llama Guard 4 12BMeta | GRIDC3 | Neighbouring square C3, 50% pricier input, 4× the context | $0.18 | +50% | $0.18 | 164K | |
| 12 | Nemotron 3.5 Content SafetyNVIDIA | GRIDC3 | Neighbouring square C3, 67% pricier input, 3.2× the context | $0.20 | +67% | $0.20 | 131K | |
| 13 | MiniMax M2.7MiniMax | GRIDC3 | Neighbouring square C3, 75% pricier input, 5× the context | $0.21 | +75% | $0.84 | 205K | |
| 14 | Llama 3.3 70B InstructMeta | GRIDC3 | Neighbouring square C3, 83% pricier input, 3.2× the context | $0.22 | +83% | $0.50 | 131K | |
| 15 | DeepSeek V3.1DeepSeek | GRIDC3 | Neighbouring square C3, 108% pricier input, 4× the context | $0.25 | +108% | $0.95 | 164K |
What switching saves
3,000 input + 800 output tokens × 1,000 requests a day
Σ Derived from standard-tier prices; excludes caching and batch discounts. Use your own numbers →
Larger-context alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command R (08-2024)Cohere | $0.15 | 128K | Compare |
| Nano Banana 2 Lite (Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Image)Google | $0.25 | 66K | Compare |
| Llama 3.2 1B InstructMeta | $0.03 | 60K | |
| Command R7B (12-2024)Cohere | $0.04 | 128K | |
| Ministral 3 3B 2512Mistral AI | $0.10 | 131K |
Free alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Context | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyria 3 Clip PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M | |
| Lyria 3 Pro PreviewGoogle | Free | 1.05M |
Compare Qwen3 30B A3B head to head
Questions
What is the best alternative to Qwen3 30B A3B?
Qwen2.5 7B Instruct ranks first: same maker, same square, 17% cheaper input, open weights. Input is $0.10 per 1M tokens against $0.12 for Qwen3 30B A3B. Ranking is by position on the atlas, not by quality.
What is the cheapest alternative to Qwen3 30B A3B?
Llama 3.2 1B Instruct at $0.03 per 1M input tokens, 78% less than Qwen3 30B A3B, among the 15 closest.
Is there an open-weight alternative to Qwen3 30B A3B?
Yes, 2 of the 15: Qwen2.5 7B Instruct and Qwen3 14B.
Which alternative has a larger context window?
MiniMax M2.7, Llama Guard 4 12B, DeepSeek V3.1, Ministral 3 3B 2512 and 6 more hold more than Qwen3 30B A3B's 41K; the largest is MiniMax M2.7 at 205K.
How are alternatives ranked?
By distance on the atlas grid from Qwen3 30B A3B's square C2: the same square first, then neighbouring squares. Within the same distance, cheaper models come before pricier ones, then the lowest input price wins. We hold no capability data, so we do not claim a model can do what Qwen3 30B A3B does, only that it costs and holds about the same. No vendor pays for position.
More alternatives
Keep going in your AI
Opens with this page as the source. We add nothing else to the prompt.
- What is the best alternative to Qwen3 30B A3B?
- What is the cheapest alternative to Qwen3 30B A3B?
- Is there an open-weight alternative to Qwen3 30B A3B?