Model Comparison
ERNIE 4.5 vs Qwen3 MaxWhich is better in 2026?
ERNIE 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. ERNIE 4.5 is 1.3x cheaper per token.
Verdict: ERNIE 4.5 vs Qwen3 Max — which is better?
ERNIE 4.5 (by Baidu) and Qwen3 Max (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.
ERNIE 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks. ERNIE 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, ERNIE 4.5 is roughly 1.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 Max also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose ERNIE 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.3x cheaper per token
Choose Qwen3 Max if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
ERNIE 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks.
ERNIE 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, ERNIE 4.5 ($0.40/1M tokens) is 1.3x cheaper than Qwen3 Max ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, ERNIE 4.5 ($4.00/1M tokens) is 1.3x cheaper than Qwen3 Max ($5.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 Max is more expensive than ERNIE 4.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 Max has 979.0B more parameters than ERNIE 4.5, making it 4661.9% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 Max accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to ERNIE 4.5's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 Max can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while ERNIE 4.5 is limited to 65,536 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
ERNIE 4.5 was released on 2025-06-25, while Qwen3 Max was released on 2025-12-15.
Qwen3 Max is 6 months newer than ERNIE 4.5.
Jun 25, 2025
1.1 years ago
Dec 15, 2025
7 months ago
5mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
ERNIE 4.5 is available from Novita. Qwen3 Max is available from Novita.
ERNIE 4.5
Qwen3 Max
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 Max
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against ERNIE 4.5 and Qwen3 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about ERNIE 4.5 vs Qwen3 Max.