Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Qwen3-Max: API Pricing
Input and output token rates, context windows, and real monthly cost for Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google) and Qwen3-Max (Alibaba), side by side. Prices are standard on-demand rates as of June 2026.
The short answer
For a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month), Qwen3-Max is the cheaper option at $144/mo versus $198/mo for Gemini 3.5 Flash - about 27% less. On the headline sticker of 1M input + 1M output, Gemini 3.5 Flash is $10.50 and Qwen3-Max is $7.20.
Rates at a glance
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | Qwen3-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/1M tokens) | $1.50 | $1.20 |
| Output ($/1M tokens) | $9.00 | $6.00 |
| Blended (1M in + 1M out) | $10.50 | $7.20 |
| Context window | 1,000K | 262K |
| Type | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Provider | Alibaba |
Monthly cost by workload
Estimated monthly API spend at each workload's token volume. Output usually costs several times input, so the winner can flip with your mix.
| Workload | Gemini 3.5 Flash | Qwen3-Max | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot / assistant10M in / 3M out | $42.00/mo | $30.00/mo | Qwen3-Max |
| Coding agent60M in / 12M out | $198/mo | $144/mo | Qwen3-Max |
| RAG / summarization40M in / 4M out | $96.00/mo | $72.00/mo | Qwen3-Max |
| Batch / classification20M in / 2M out | $48.00/mo | $36.00/mo | Qwen3-Max |
Want your own in/out split? Use the full interactive comparator to rank every model and provider for your exact workload.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini 3.5 Flash or Qwen3-Max cheaper?
It depends on your input/output mix, but for a typical coding-agent workload (60M in / 12M out per month) Qwen3-Max costs $144/mo versus $198/mo for Gemini 3.5 Flash - about 27% less. On the headline sticker (1M input + 1M output), Gemini 3.5 Flash is $10.50 and Qwen3-Max is $7.20.
What are the token rates for Gemini 3.5 Flash and Qwen3-Max?
Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google) is $1.50 per 1M input and $9.00 per 1M output. Qwen3-Max (Alibaba) is $1.20 per 1M input and $6.00 per 1M output. These are standard on-demand rates, not cached or batch.
Is Gemini 3.5 Flash or Qwen3-Max open-weight?
Gemini 3.5 Flash is proprietary and Qwen3-Max is proprietary. Both are closed models billed only through their owner's API.
What context window do Gemini 3.5 Flash and Qwen3-Max support?
Gemini 3.5 Flash supports 1,000K tokens and Qwen3-Max supports 262K tokens. Some models also step up pricing past a size threshold - check the source pricing pages for long-context tiers.
More pricing comparisons
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