Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B vs Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B

The two models at a glance

About Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B

Alibaba's hybrid Gated DeltaNet + Attention MoE with 80B total and 3B active parameters. Purpose-built as a local coding copilot that fits on a 24GB GPU. Strengths: Runs as a local copilot on a 24GB GPU, 262K context fits entire codebases, Hybrid architecture keeps memory low, Apache 2.0 license.

About Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B

Alibaba's Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B — the strongest open-weight code model we've benchmarked, trading punches with Claude 3.5 Sonnet on HumanEval. Strengths: Best-in-class open-weight code generation, Claude 3.5 Sonnet-level HumanEval scores, 128k context for repo-wide tasks, Apache 2.0 license.

How they compare

Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B comes from Alibaba and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B from Alibaba. This comparison is built entirely from structured specs — parameter count, VRAM by quantization, context window, license, and published benchmark scores — so the verdict below reflects measurable differences rather than marketing claims.

At 80B vs 32B parameters, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B is the larger of the two. At Q4, Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B fits in about 19 GB of VRAM versus 48 GB for the other — a 29 GB difference that matters on consumer GPUs.

The two models target different sweet spots: Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B is tuned for code, moe, while Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B leans toward code. Match the model to your dominant workload rather than to raw size.

On a typical mid-range GPU, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B pushes roughly 18 tokens/sec versus 12, so it is the more responsive choice for interactive or high-volume use. For long-context work, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B offers the bigger window (255k vs 128k tokens).

Memory, quantization & throughput

Across quantization levels, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B requires Q4 ≈ 48 GB, Q5 ≈ 58 GB, Q8 ≈ 86 GB, FP16 ≈ 160 GB, while Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B requires Q4 ≈ 19 GB, Q5 ≈ 23 GB, Q8 ≈ 35 GB, FP16 ≈ 64 GB. In practice Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B spills past 24 GB even at Q4, so plan your GPU around the Q4 or Q5 figure unless you specifically need the higher fidelity of Q8 or FP16.

Without a GPU, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B needs roughly 72 GB of system RAM to run on CPU and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B about 32 GB — workable for offline use but far slower than GPU inference. On a mid-range GPU you can expect on the order of 18 tokens/sec from Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B and 12 from Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B, scaling up to 50 and 30 tokens/sec on high-end hardware.

Which fits your GPU

Here is the highest-quality quantization of each model that fits common GPU memory budgets, so you can match Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B or Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B to the card you actually own:

• On a 24 GB GPU: Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B does not fit; Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B runs at Q5 (23 GB).

Benchmark scores

Reported benchmarks for Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B: HumanEval 92.7, MBPP 86, LiveCodeBench 31.4.

Bottom line: which should you pick?

• Pick Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B for long-context work (up to 255k tokens).
• Pick Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B for lower VRAM and faster inference; pick Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B for maximum headline quality.
• Pick Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B if your workload is moe.

Which GPU should you buy to run Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B?

To run Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B locally at Q4, you need ~48 GB of VRAM. The best value for this is a Apple Mac Studio (64+ GB unified memory).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

The headline differences: Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B is a 80B model and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B is 32B; their context windows differ (255k vs 128k tokens). Below we break down VRAM by quantization, benchmark scores, and a use-case verdict so you can pick the right one.

Can Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B run on a 24 GB GPU?

At a Q4 quantization, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B needs about 48 GB of VRAM and needs more than 24 GB (multi-GPU or heavier offload); Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B needs about 19 GB and fits comfortably on a 24 GB GPU. Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B is the lighter option for tight VRAM budgets.

Which is faster, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B or Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B is the smaller model (32B vs 80B), so on the same hardware it runs faster and uses less memory. The larger model trades speed for headline quality.

What licenses do Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B use?

Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B is licensed under Apache 2.0 and Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B under Apache 2.0.

Which has the longer context window, Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B or Qwen 2.5 Coder 32B?

Qwen3-Coder-Next 80B-A3B has the larger context window (255k vs 128k tokens), so it handles longer documents and codebases in a single prompt.