GPT-5.1 vs Qwen3-Max
Benchmarks, API pricing and specs, head to head. Data updated 2026-06-10.
GPT-5.1
59.6OpenAI · Nov 2025
A November 2025 update to GPT-5 with adaptive reasoning that spends thinking tokens only when a task needs them.
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
GPT-5.1 wins 2 of the 2 benchmarks these models share, against 0 for Qwen3-Max. Qwen3-Max is about 1.4x cheaper per blended million tokens (3:1 input:output mix). GPT-5.1 also takes 400K of context versus 262K for Qwen3-Max.
Benchmark head-to-head 2–0
Specs & pricing
| GPT-5.1 | Qwen3-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| modhub Index | 59.6 | 80.5 |
| Input price / 1M | $1.25 | $1.2 |
| Output price / 1M | $10 | $6 |
| Context window | 400K | 262K |
| Max output | 128K | 66K |
| Open weights | no | no |
| Reasoning model | yes | yes |
| Multimodal input | text, image | text |
| Knowledge cutoff | Sep 2024 | Jun 2025 |
| Released | Nov 2025 | Sep 2025 |
| Example monthly cost* | $27.50 | $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-5.1 or Qwen3-Max?
- GPT-5.1 wins 2 of the 2 benchmarks these models share, against 0 for Qwen3-Max. Qwen3-Max is about 1.4x cheaper per blended million tokens (3:1 input:output mix). GPT-5.1 also takes 400K of context versus 262K for Qwen3-Max.
- Which is cheaper, GPT-5.1 or Qwen3-Max?
- GPT-5.1 costs $1.25/$10 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 $27.50 versus $21.00.
- Which model is better for coding, GPT-5.1 or Qwen3-Max?
- On SWE-bench Verified — the standard agentic-coding benchmark — GPT-5.1 scores 76.3% versus 69.6% for Qwen3-Max, making GPT-5.1 the stronger pick for coding agents.