Qwen3-Max vs GPT-4.1 — LLM API Cost Comparison
Compare Qwen3-Max (Qwen (Alibaba)) vs GPT-4.1 (OpenAI) on cost per million tokens, context window, and monthly spend.
Prices verified 2026-05-20 · Pricing may change — use the calculator for current estimates
- Input
- $0.35/1M tokens
- Output
- $1.4/1M tokens
- Context
- 131K tokens
- Released
- 2025-11
Alibaba flagship; hybrid thinking mode; rivals GPT-4.1 at ~1/5 the cost
- Input
- $2/1M tokens
- Output
- $8/1M tokens
- Context
- 1M tokens
- Released
- 2025-04
Recommended production model (replaced GPT-4o); 1M context
Monthly Cost by Usage Tier (70% input / 30% output ratio)
| Usage | Qwen3-Max | GPT-4.1 | Cheaper by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (1M tokens) | $0.665 | $3.80 | Qwen3-Max (83%) |
| Moderate (10M tokens) | $6.65 | $38.00 | Qwen3-Max (83%) |
| Heavy (100M tokens) | $66.50 | $380 | Qwen3-Max (83%) |
| Very Heavy (1B tokens) | $665 | $3,800 | Qwen3-Max (83%) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper — Qwen3-Max or GPT-4.1?
For input tokens, Qwen3-Max is cheaper at $0.35/1M tokens — 5.7× less than $2/1M. For output tokens, Qwen3-Max wins at $1.4/1M vs $8/1M. At heavy workloads (100M tokens/month), the cost difference can be significant.
What is the context window difference between Qwen3-Max and GPT-4.1?
Qwen3-Max supports 131,072 tokens per request; GPT-4.1 supports 1,000,000 tokens. GPT-4.1 wins on context length, making it better for long documents, large codebases, or extended conversations without chunking.
When should I choose Qwen3-Max over GPT-4.1?
Choose Qwen3-Max (Qwen (Alibaba)) if you prefer Qwen (Alibaba)'s ecosystem, tooling, or reliability track record. Alibaba flagship; hybrid thinking mode; rivals GPT-4.1 at ~1/5 the cost. Choose GPT-4.1 (OpenAI) if Recommended production model (replaced GPT-4o); 1M context. the price/performance fits your workload better. Use this calculator to find the break-even point for your exact token volume.
How much does 1 billion tokens cost on Qwen3-Max vs GPT-4.1?
At 700M input + 300M output tokens (1B total): Qwen3-Max costs $665; GPT-4.1 costs $3800. The difference is $3135/billion tokens at this 70/30 input/output ratio.