Model Comparison
GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3 235B A22BWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-4.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Qwen3 235B A22B is 35.0x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3 235B A22B — which is better?
GPT-4.1 (by OpenAI) and Qwen3 235B A22B (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.
GPT-4.1 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMMLU), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025). GPT-4.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
On price, Qwen3 235B A22B is roughly 35.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-4.1 also accepts a larger context window (1,047,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-4.1 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,047,576 token context window
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B if…
- cost matters — it's about 35.0x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4.1 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMMLU), while Qwen3 235B A22B is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025).
GPT-4.1 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4.1 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4.1 ($8.00/1M tokens) is 80.0x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4.1 is more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-4.1 accepts 1,047,576 input tokens compared to Qwen3 235B A22B's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 235B A22B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while GPT-4.1 is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-4.1 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 235B A22B does not.
GPT-4.1 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4.1
Qwen3 235B A22B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4.1 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3 235B A22B 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
GPT-4.1 was released on 2025-04-14, while Qwen3 235B A22B was released on 2025-04-29.
Qwen3 235B A22B is 1 month newer than GPT-4.1.
Apr 14, 2025
1.2 years ago
Apr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
2w newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4.1 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4.1's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date.
Jun 2024
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Provider Availability
GPT-4.1 is available from OpenAI. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.
GPT-4.1
Qwen3 235B A22B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-4.1
View detailsOpenAI
Qwen3 235B A22B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
GPT-4.1
Qwen3 235B A22BDetailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3 235B A22B.