Model Comparison
GPT-5.1 Codex vs Qwen3 235B A22BWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing GPT-5.1 Codex and Qwen3 235B A22B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: GPT-5.1 Codex vs Qwen3 235B A22B — which is better?
GPT-5.1 Codex (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.
On price, Qwen3 235B A22B is roughly 34.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 Codex also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose GPT-5.1 Codex if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B if…
- cost matters — it's about 34.4x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.1 Codex and Qwen3 235B A22B don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.1 Codex ($1.25/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.1 Codex ($10.00/1M tokens) is 100.0x more expensive than Qwen3 235B A22B ($0.10/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Codex 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-5.1 Codex accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3 235B A22B's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-5.1 Codex supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 235B A22B does not.
GPT-5.1 Codex can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-5.1 Codex
Qwen3 235B A22B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.1 Codex 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-5.1 Codex was released on 2025-11-19, while Qwen3 235B A22B was released on 2025-04-29.
GPT-5.1 Codex is 7 months newer than Qwen3 235B A22B.
Nov 19, 2025
6 months ago
6mo newerApr 29, 2025
1.1 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.1 Codex has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-09-30, while Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.1 Codex's training data extends to 2024-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3 235B A22B's cutoff date.
Sep 2024
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Provider Availability
GPT-5.1 Codex is available from OpenAI. Qwen3 235B A22B is available from Fireworks, DeepInfra, Novita, Together.
GPT-5.1 Codex
Qwen3 235B A22B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 235B A22B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.1 Codex vs Qwen3 235B A22B.