GPT-5 mini vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B Comparison

Comparing GPT-5 mini and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

GPT-5 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HMMT 2025, Humanity's Last Exam).

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Mar 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GPT-5 mini costs less

For input processing, GPT-5 mini ($0.25/1M tokens) is 2.4x cheaper than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($0.60/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5 mini ($2.00/1M tokens) is 1.8x cheaper than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($3.60/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is more expensive than GPT-5 mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Mar 16 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5 mini
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$2.00
Best providerOpenAI
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Input tokens$0.60
Output tokens$3.60
Best providerNovita
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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-5 mini accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's 262,144 tokens. GPT-5 mini can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is limited to 64,000 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-5 mini
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Input262,144 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Mon Mar 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5 mini and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-5 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uses Apache 2.0.

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

GPT-5 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5 mini was released on 2025-08-07, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B was released on 2026-02-16.

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is 6 months newer than GPT-5 mini.

GPT-5 mini

Aug 7, 2025

7 months ago

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Feb 16, 2026

4 weeks ago

6mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-30, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-5 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's cutoff date.

GPT-5 mini

May 2024

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Provider Availability

GPT-5 mini is available from OpenAI. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available from Novita. The availability of providers can affect quality of the model and reliability.

GPT-5 mini

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.00/1M

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.60/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Larger context window (400,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (88.4% vs 82.3%)
Higher HMMT 2025 score (94.8% vs 87.8%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (28.7% vs 16.7%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5 mini
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B