GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3-Max
Benchmarks, API pricing and specs, head to head. Data updated 2026-06-10.
GPT-4.1
OpenAI · Apr 2025
A non-reasoning workhorse with a 1M-token context window, still popular for predictable-latency production APIs.
Qwen3-Max
80.5Alibaba (Qwen) · Sep 2025
Alibaba's trillion-parameter API flagship — frontier-adjacent quality with strong agentic tool use at mid-tier prices.
The verdict
Qwen3-Max wins 2 of the 2 benchmarks these models share, against 0 for GPT-4.1. Qwen3-Max is about 1.5x cheaper per blended million tokens (3:1 input:output mix). GPT-4.1 also takes 1M of context versus 262K for Qwen3-Max.
Benchmark head-to-head 0–2
Specs & pricing
| GPT-4.1 | Qwen3-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| modhub Index | — | 80.5 |
| Input price / 1M | $2 | $1.2 |
| Output price / 1M | $8 | $6 |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Max output | 33K | 66K |
| Open weights | no | no |
| Reasoning model | no | yes |
| Multimodal input | text, image | text |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jun 2024 | Jun 2025 |
| Released | Apr 2025 | Sep 2025 |
| Example monthly cost* | $32.00 | $21.00 |
* 10M input + 1.5M output tokens per month at list prices, no caching. Green = better value on that row.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, GPT-4.1 or Qwen3-Max?
- Qwen3-Max wins 2 of the 2 benchmarks these models share, against 0 for GPT-4.1. Qwen3-Max is about 1.5x cheaper per blended million tokens (3:1 input:output mix). GPT-4.1 also takes 1M of context versus 262K for Qwen3-Max.
- Which is cheaper, GPT-4.1 or Qwen3-Max?
- GPT-4.1 costs $2/$8 per million input/output tokens, while Qwen3-Max costs $1.2/$6. For a typical workload of 10M input and 1.5M output tokens per month, that's $32.00 versus $21.00.
- Which model is better for coding, GPT-4.1 or Qwen3-Max?
- On SWE-bench Verified — the standard agentic-coding benchmark — Qwen3-Max scores 69.6% versus 54.6% for GPT-4.1, making Qwen3-Max the stronger pick for coding agents.