Qwen3-Max vs GPT-5.5 — LLM API Cost Comparison
Compare Qwen3-Max (Qwen (Alibaba)) vs GPT-5.5 (OpenAI) on cost per million tokens, context window, and monthly spend.
Prices verified 2026-06-06 · Pricing may change — use the calculator for current estimates
- Input
- $0.45/1M tokens
- Output
- $1.82/1M tokens
- Context
- 131K tokens
- Released
- 2025-11
Alibaba flagship; hybrid thinking mode; rivals GPT-4.1 at ~1/5 the cost
- Input
- $5/1M tokens
- Output
- $30/1M tokens
- Context
- 272K tokens
- Released
- 2026-04
Latest OpenAI frontier model; 272K context standard tier
Monthly Cost by Usage Tier (70% input / 30% output ratio)
| Usage | Qwen3-Max | GPT-5.5 | Cheaper by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (1M tokens) | $0.861 | $12.50 | Qwen3-Max (93%) |
| Moderate (10M tokens) | $8.61 | $125 | Qwen3-Max (93%) |
| Heavy (100M tokens) | $86.10 | $1,250 | Qwen3-Max (93%) |
| Very Heavy (1B tokens) | $861 | $12,500 | Qwen3-Max (93%) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper — Qwen3-Max or GPT-5.5?
For input tokens, Qwen3-Max is cheaper at $0.45/1M tokens — 11.1× less than $5/1M. For output tokens, Qwen3-Max wins at $1.82/1M vs $30/1M. At heavy workloads (100M tokens/month), the cost difference can be significant.
What is the context window difference between Qwen3-Max and GPT-5.5?
Qwen3-Max supports 131,072 tokens per request; GPT-5.5 supports 272,000 tokens. GPT-5.5 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-5.5?
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-5.5 (OpenAI) if Latest OpenAI frontier model; 272K context standard tier. 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-5.5?
At 700M input + 300M output tokens (1B total): Qwen3-Max costs $861; GPT-5.5 costs $12500. The difference is $11639/billion tokens at this 70/30 input/output ratio.