Model Comparison

Claude Sonnet 4 vs Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507Which is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is 19.2x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4 vs Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 — which is better?

Claude Sonnet 4 (by Anthropic) and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 (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 Sonnet 4 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

On price, Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is roughly 19.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude Sonnet 4 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output

Choose Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 19.2x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 costs less

For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 18.8x more expensive than Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 ($0.80/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4 is more expensive than Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.80
Best providerFireworks
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4's 200,000 tokens. Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Claude Sonnet 4 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 does not.

Claude Sonnet 4 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Claude Sonnet 4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Sonnet 4 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Sonnet 4

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Sonnet 4 was released on 2025-05-22, while Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 was released on 2025-07-22.

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is 2 months newer than Claude Sonnet 4.

Claude Sonnet 4

May 22, 2025

1.2 years ago

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

Jul 22, 2025

12 months ago

2mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Claude Sonnet 4 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is available from Fireworks, Novita.

Claude Sonnet 4

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.80/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.80/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher AIME 2025 score (70.5% vs 70.3%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (77.5% vs 75.4%)
AnthropicClaude Sonnet 4
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen TeamQwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 4 and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Sonnet 4
✓ Preferred
Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4 vs Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507.

Which is better, Claude Sonnet 4 or Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4 is made by Anthropic and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Sonnet 4 compare to Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 in benchmarks?

Claude Sonnet 4 scores MMMLU: 86.5%, TAU-bench Retail: 80.5%, GPQA: 75.4%, MMMU: 74.4%, SWE-Bench Verified: 72.7%. Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 scores ZebraLogic: 95.0%, MMLU-Redux: 93.1%, IFEval: 88.7%, MultiPL-E: 87.9%, Creative Writing v3: 87.5%.

Is Claude Sonnet 4 cheaper than Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507?

Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is 20.0x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Sonnet 4 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic. Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 costs $0.15/M input and $0.80/M output via fireworks.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4 and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507?

Claude Sonnet 4 supports 200K tokens and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 supports 262K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Sonnet 4 and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 262K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.15/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Sonnet 4 and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507?

Claude Sonnet 4 is developed by Anthropic and Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507 is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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