AI model comparison
LFM2.5-2.6B vs Qwen3 30B A3B
Side by side comparison of LFM2.5-2.6B and Qwen3 30B A3B on pricing, benchmark scores, context window, and more.
LFM2.5-2.6B is a compact reasoning model from Liquid AI. It is suited for agent workflows, data extraction, RAG, and long-context processing.
- Input / 1M
- $0.35
- Output / 1M
- $0.50
- Context
- 128K
Qwen3, the latest generation in the Qwen large language model series, features both dense and mixture-of-experts (MoE) architectures to excel in reasoning, multilingual support, and advanced agent tasks.
- Input / 1M
- $0.12
- Output / 1M
- $0.50
- Context
- 41K
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At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Qwen3 30B A3B
1.9x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
LFM2.5-2.6B
8.4 vs 7.6 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
LFM2.5-2.6B
128K vs 41K tokens
Newer release
LFM2.5-2.6B
Released August 11, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
LFM2.5-2.6B8.4Qwen3 30B A3B7.6Coding index
LFM2.5-2.6B7.7Qwen3 30B A3BNot availableAgentic index
LFM2.5-2.6BNot availableQwen3 30B A3BNot availablePricing
LFM2.5-2.6B vs Qwen3 30B A3B API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | LFM2.5-2.6B | Qwen3 30B A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.35 | $0.12 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.50 | $0.50 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.04 | Not available |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
LFM2.5-2.6B$0.95Qwen3 30B A3B$0.49Coding task
30K in, 4K out
LFM2.5-2.6B$12.50$3.20 cachedQwen3 30B A3B$5.60Long document summary
150K in, 2K out
LFM2.5-2.6B$53.50$7 cachedQwen3 30B A3B$19Specs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | LFM2.5-2.6B | Qwen3 30B A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 128K tokens | 41K tokens |
| Max output | 8K tokens | 16K tokens |
| Input types | Text | Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | Not available | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Not available | Not available |
| Release date | August 11, 2026 | April 28, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | LFM2.5-2.6B | Qwen3 30B A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
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Our take
Qwen3 30B A3B is 1.9x cheaper for a typical chat. LFM2.5-2.6B scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (8.4 vs 7.6). LFM2.5-2.6B has the larger context window (128K vs 41K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is LFM2.5-2.6B or Qwen3 30B A3B cheaper?
Qwen3 30B A3B is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Qwen3 30B A3B costs $0.12 per 1M input tokens and $0.50 per 1M output tokens, while LFM2.5-2.6B costs $0.35 per 1M input tokens and $0.50 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, LFM2.5-2.6B or Qwen3 30B A3B?
LFM2.5-2.6B supports up to 128K tokens of context, compared with 41K for Qwen3 30B A3B.
Is LFM2.5-2.6B smarter than Qwen3 30B A3B?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, LFM2.5-2.6B scores 8.4 and Qwen3 30B A3B scores 7.6, putting LFM2.5-2.6B ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use LFM2.5-2.6B and Qwen3 30B A3B at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see LFM2.5-2.6B and Qwen3 30B A3B answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to LFM2.5-2.6B and Qwen3 30B A3B at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.