Model Comparison
Claude Opus 5 vs Qwen3.5-27BWhich is better in 2026?
Claude Opus 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3.5-27B is 12.1x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude Opus 5 vs Qwen3.5-27B — which is better?
Claude Opus 5 (by Anthropic) and Qwen3.5-27B (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
Claude Opus 5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (BrowseComp, Humanity's Last Exam), while Qwen3.5-27B is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Opus 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3.5-27B is roughly 12.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude Opus 5 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude Opus 5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Qwen3.5-27B if…
- cost matters — it's about 12.1x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude Opus 5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (BrowseComp, Humanity's Last Exam), while Qwen3.5-27B is better at 0 benchmarks.
Claude Opus 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Opus 5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 16.7x more expensive than Qwen3.5-27B ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Opus 5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 10.4x more expensive than Qwen3.5-27B ($2.40/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Opus 5 is more expensive than Qwen3.5-27B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Claude Opus 5 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.5-27B's 262,144 tokens. Claude Opus 5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen3.5-27B is limited to 65,536 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude Opus 5 and Qwen3.5-27B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Opus 5
Qwen3.5-27B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude Opus 5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3.5-27B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Opus 5 was released on 2026-07-24, while Qwen3.5-27B was released on 2026-02-24.
Claude Opus 5 is 5 months newer than Qwen3.5-27B.
Jul 24, 2026
0 days ago
5mo newerFeb 24, 2026
5 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude Opus 5 is available from Anthropic. Qwen3.5-27B is available from Novita.
Claude Opus 5
Qwen3.5-27B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude Opus 5
View detailsAnthropic
Qwen3.5-27B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 5 and Qwen3.5-27B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude Opus 5 vs Qwen3.5-27B.