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GPT-4.1 mini vs Qwen3.8-27B

Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

GPT-4.1 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8-27B is better at 3 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam). Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose GPT-4.1 mini

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.40/M input and $1.60/M output

Choose Qwen3.8-27B

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

GPT-4.1 mini
OpenAI
Qwen3.8-27B
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Benchmark wins
0 of 3
3 of 3
Input price
$0.40 / M
— / M
Output price
$1.60 / M
— / M
Context window
1,047,576
—
Released
Apr 2025
Aug 2026
License
Proprietary
Apache 2.0

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

GPT-4.1 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8-27B is better at 3 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam).

Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Playground indexes and blind preference scores

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies input context (1,047,576 tokens). Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4.1 mini
Input1,047,576 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8-27B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mon Aug 24 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-4.1 mini and Qwen3.8-27B support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

GPT-4.1 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8-27B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4.1 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3.8-27B uses Apache 2.0.

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

GPT-4.1 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3.8-27B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4.1 mini was released on 2025-04-14, while Qwen3.8-27B was released on 2026-08-14.

Qwen3.8-27B is 16 months newer than GPT-4.1 mini.

GPT-4.1 mini

Apr 14, 2025

1.4 years ago

Qwen3.8-27B

Aug 14, 2026

1 weeks ago

1.3yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4.1 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while Qwen3.8-27B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-4.1 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3.8-27B's cutoff date.

GPT-4.1 mini

May 2024

Qwen3.8-27B

—

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-4.1 mini and Qwen3.8-27B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-4.1 mini
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8-27B
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4.1 mini vs Qwen3.8-27B.

Which is better, GPT-4.1 mini or Qwen3.8-27B?

Qwen3.8-27B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-4.1 mini is made by OpenAI and Qwen3.8-27B 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 GPT-4.1 mini compare to Qwen3.8-27B in benchmarks?

GPT-4.1 mini scores CharXiv-D: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, IFEval: 84.1%, MMMLU: 78.5%, MathVista: 73.1%. Qwen3.8-27B scores MathVision: 94.6%, OmniDocBench 1.5: 91.1%, LiveCodeBench v6: 90.3%, CharXiv-R: 90.2%, GPQA: 89.2%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4.1 mini and Qwen3.8-27B?

GPT-4.1 mini supports 1.0M tokens and Qwen3.8-27B supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-4.1 mini and Qwen3.8-27B?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-4.1 mini and Qwen3.8-27B?

GPT-4.1 mini is developed by OpenAI and Qwen3.8-27B is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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