Model Comparison
GPT-4o mini vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-ThinkingWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-4o mini is 1.9x cheaper per token.
Verdict: GPT-4o mini vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking — which is better?
GPT-4o mini (by OpenAI) 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.
GPT-4o mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, GPT-4o mini is roughly 1.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-4o mini also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-4o mini if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-4o mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4o mini ($0.15/1M tokens) costs the same as Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4o mini ($0.60/1M tokens) is 2.5x cheaper than Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking ($1.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is more expensive than GPT-4o mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-4o mini accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking's 65,536 tokens. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while GPT-4o mini is limited to 16,384 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-4o mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking does not.
GPT-4o mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4o mini
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4o mini 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.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-4o mini was released on 2024-07-18, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking was released on 2025-09-10.
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is 14 months newer than GPT-4o mini.
Jul 18, 2024
1.9 years ago
Sep 10, 2025
9 months ago
1.1yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4o mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4o mini's training data extends to 2023-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking's cutoff date.
Oct 2023
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Provider Availability
GPT-4o mini is available from Azure. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking is available from Novita.
GPT-4o mini
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
GPT-4o mini
View detailsOpenAI
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4o mini vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B-Thinking.