Llama 3 vs Qwen 3: The Complete Comparison
Which ai chatbots & assistants tool is right for you? A detailed side-by-side analysis of features, pricing, and performance.
Both tools excel in different areas. Llama 3 is best for AI researchers and machine learning engineers, while Qwen 3 shines at Multilingual applications. Read on for the full breakdown.
- Price: Llama 3 starts at Free, Qwen 3 at Free
- Free tier: Both offer free tiers
- Best for: Llama 3 → AI researchers and machine learning engineers | Qwen 3 → Multilingual applications
- Features: 18+ features across 7 categories
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Llama 3 | Qwen 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Meta | Alibaba Cloud |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Web App | No | Yes |
| Mobile App | No | Yes |
| Best For | AI researchers and machine learning engineers | Multilingual applications |
What Are We Comparing?
Llama 3
Access Meta's powerful open-source Llama 3 family of large language models with multimodal capabilities, featuring models from 1B to 405B parameters. Free commercial use with state-of-the-art performance in coding, reasoning, and multilingual tasks.
Llama 3 represents Meta's flagship open-source large language model family, offering unprecedented access to cutting-edge AI technology without licensing fees. The comprehensive suite includes Llama 3.1 (8B, 70B, 405B parameters), Llama 3.2 with multimodal vision capabilities (1B, 3B, 11B, 90B), and the latest Llama 3.3 (70B) with enhanced safety and multilingual support. These models are trained on up to 15 trillion tokens with context lengths reaching 128,000 tokens, delivering exceptional performance in conversational AI, code generation, mathematical reasoning, and document understanding. What distinguishes Llama 3 is Meta's commitment to democratizing AI through open-source development, allowing developers to freely modify, deploy, and commercialize applications for organizations under 700 million monthly active users. The models excel in accuracy benchmarks, with Llama 3.3 70B achieving 91.1% on key evaluations while maintaining responsible AI practices. Available through major cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and specialized AI platforms, Llama 3 empowers enterprises, researchers, and developers to build custom AI solutions without the constraints of proprietary APIs, making it ideal for self-hosted applications, multilingual projects, and innovative multimodal AI experiences.
Qwen 3
Alibaba's flagship AI model supporting 119+ languages with advanced reasoning and hybrid thinking modes. Features both dense models and Mixture-of-Experts architecture for efficient AI processing across diverse tasks.
Qwen 3 represents Alibaba's latest advancement in large language models, released in 2025 with significant improvements in reasoning, multilingual support, and efficiency. The model series features both dense models and innovative Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) variants, trained on 36 trillion tokens to deliver exceptional performance across coding, mathematics, and multilingual tasks. With support for 119 languages and hybrid thinking modes, Qwen 3 demonstrates Alibaba's commitment to creating versatile AI solutions. The model family includes various specialized variants such as Qwen 3 (235 billion parameters), Qwen2.5-VL for visual processing, and Qwen-Omni for multimodal capabilities. Available through both open-source releases and Alibaba Cloud's managed API services, Qwen 3 offers flexibility for developers and enterprises. The series incorporates advanced safety measures with Qwen3Guard and supports seamless integration into Alibaba's ecosystem, making it suitable for global business applications requiring trustworthy and scalable AI solutions.
Llama 3 vs Qwen 3 Pricing
Here's how the pricing compares between both tools:
Llama 3
Free Tier AvailableQwen 3
Free Tier AvailableFeatures Comparison
Llama 3 Features
- ✓ Api Access
- ✓ Fine Tuning
- ✓ Open Source
- ✓ Commercial Use
- ✓ Multiple Sizes
- ✓ Local Deployment
Qwen 3 Features
- ✓ Web App
- ✓ Api Access
- ✓ Mobile App
- ✓ File Upload
- ✓ Image Input
- ✓ Open Source
- ✓ Multilingual
- ✓ Code Execution
Pros and Cons
Llama 3
Pros
- Completely free and open-source with commercial rights
- Multiple model sizes from 1B to 405B parameters
- Multimodal capabilities combining vision and text understanding
- 128K token context length for long documents
- 91.1% accuracy on key benchmarks
- Available on 15+ major cloud platforms
Cons
- Requires significant technical infrastructure for self-hosting
- Large models demand substantial computing resources and memory
- No official user interface or ready-to-use application
Qwen 3
Pros
- Open-source with commercial license
- Extensive 119+ language support
- Advanced MoE architecture
- Strong coding and reasoning performance
Cons
- Requires technical setup for self-hosting
- Limited third-party integrations
- Newer model with less community support
Who Should Use Each Tool?
Choose Llama 3 if you need:
- AI researchers and machine learning engineers
- Enterprise developers building custom AI applications
- Companies requiring self-hosted AI solutions
- Multimodal AI projects combining text and vision
- Organizations needing multilingual AI capabilities
Choose Qwen 3 if you need:
- Multilingual applications
- Developers and researchers
- Enterprise AI deployments
Final Verdict: Llama 3 vs Qwen 3
🤝 It's a tie! Both tools have distinct strengths. Your choice should depend on your specific needs and workflow.
Bottom line: Use Llama 3 for AI researchers and machine learning engineers. Use Qwen 3 for Multilingual applications. Both are excellent ai chatbots & assistants tools in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Llama 3 and Qwen 3?
Llama 3 is access meta's powerful open-source llama 3 family of large language models with multimodal capabilities, featuring models from 1b to 405b parameters. free commercial use with state-of-the-art performance in coding, reasoning, and multilingual tasks. Qwen 3 is alibaba's flagship ai model supporting 119+ languages with advanced reasoning and hybrid thinking modes. features both dense models and mixture-of-experts architecture for efficient ai processing across diverse tasks. The main differences are in pricing (Free vs Free), target users, and specific features offered.
Which is better: Llama 3 or Qwen 3?
Both tools excel in different areas. Llama 3 is best for AI researchers and machine learning engineers, while Qwen 3 shines at Multilingual applications.
Is Llama 3 free to use?
Yes, Llama 3 offers a free tier with limited features. You can upgrade to paid plans starting at Free for more capabilities.
Is Qwen 3 free to use?
Yes, Qwen 3 offers a free tier with limited features. Paid plans start at Free.
Can I switch from Llama 3 to Qwen 3?
Yes, you can switch between these tools at any time. Both are standalone services. Consider your specific needs for AI researchers and machine learning engineers vs Multilingual applications when deciding.