Model Comparison

Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Gemini 3.6 Flash and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking — which is better?

Gemini 3.6 Flash (by Google) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking (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.

On price, Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is roughly 6.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.6 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 3.6 Flash if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking if…

  • cost matters — it's about 6.2x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemini 3.6 Flash and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinkingdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.6 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.6 Flash ($7.50/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking ($1.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.6 Flash is more expensive than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Input tokens$1.50
Output tokens$7.50
Best providerGoogle
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$1.50
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.6 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking's 65,536 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking
Input65,536 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemini 3.6 Flash supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking does not.

Gemini 3.6 Flash can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.6 Flash is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking uses Apache 2.0.

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

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.6 Flash was released on 2026-07-21, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking was released on 2025-09-10.

Gemini 3.6 Flash is 10 months newer than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Jul 21, 2026

1 days ago

10mo newer
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking

Sep 10, 2025

10 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.6 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3.6 Flash's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking's cutoff date.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

Mar 2026

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.6 Flash is available from Google. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is available from Novita.

Gemini 3.6 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $1.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $7.50/1M

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.6 Flash and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.6 Flash
✓ Preferred
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.6 Flash
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking.

Which is better, Gemini 3.6 Flash or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking?

Gemini 3.6 Flash (Google) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking (Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Gemini 3.6 Flash compare to Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.6 Flash scores CharXiv-R: 89.4%, OSWorld-Verified: 83.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 78.0%, MLE-Bench: 63.9%, SWE-Bench Pro: 58.7%. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking scores MMLU-Redux: 92.5%, IFEval: 88.9%, AIME 2025: 87.8%, WritingBench: 84.6%, MMLU-Pro: 82.7%.

Is Gemini 3.6 Flash cheaper than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking?

Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is 10.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $1.50/M input and $7.50/M output via google. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking costs $0.15/M input and $1.50/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.6 Flash and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking?

Gemini 3.6 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking supports 66K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3.6 Flash and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 66K), input pricing ($1.50 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 Gemini 3.6 Flash and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking?

Gemini 3.6 Flash is developed by Google and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons