Model Comparison

GPT-5 mini vs Qwen3.5-4BWhich is better in 2026?

GPT-5 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: GPT-5 mini vs Qwen3.5-4B — which is better?

GPT-5 mini (by OpenAI) and Qwen3.5-4B (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-5 mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, HMMT 2025), while Qwen3.5-4B is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose GPT-5 mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks

Choose Qwen3.5-4B if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

GPT-5 mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, HMMT 2025), while Qwen3.5-4B is better at 0 benchmarks.

GPT-5 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-5 mini specifies input context (400,000 tokens). Only GPT-5 mini specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-5 mini
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-4B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5 mini and Qwen3.5-4B support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.5-4B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-5 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3.5-4B 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

Qwen3.5-4B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5 mini was released on 2025-08-07, while Qwen3.5-4B was released on 2026-03-02.

Qwen3.5-4B is 7 months newer than GPT-5 mini.

GPT-5 mini

Aug 7, 2025

11 months ago

Qwen3.5-4B

Mar 2, 2026

4 months ago

6mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-30, while Qwen3.5-4B'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 Qwen3.5-4B's cutoff date.

GPT-5 mini

May 2024

Qwen3.5-4B

—

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (400,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (82.3% vs 76.2%)
Higher HMMT 2025 score (87.8% vs 74.0%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.5-4B

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5 mini and Qwen3.5-4B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5 mini
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.5-4B
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5 mini
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-4B

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5 mini vs Qwen3.5-4B.

Which is better, GPT-5 mini or Qwen3.5-4B?

GPT-5 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-5 mini is made by OpenAI and Qwen3.5-4B 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-5 mini compare to Qwen3.5-4B in benchmarks?

GPT-5 mini scores AIME 2025: 91.1%, HMMT 2025: 87.8%, GPQA: 82.3%, FrontierMath: 22.1%, Humanity's Last Exam: 16.7%. Qwen3.5-4B scores IFEval: 89.8%, MMLU-Redux: 88.8%, C-Eval: 85.1%, t2-bench: 79.9%, MMLU-Pro: 79.1%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-5 mini and Qwen3.5-4B?

GPT-5 mini supports 400K tokens and Qwen3.5-4B 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-5 mini and Qwen3.5-4B?

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

Who makes GPT-5 mini and Qwen3.5-4B?

GPT-5 mini is developed by OpenAI and Qwen3.5-4B is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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