Model Comparison

GPT-5.1 Medium vs Qwen3.8 MaxWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing GPT-5.1 Medium and Qwen3.8 Max across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: GPT-5.1 Medium vs Qwen3.8 Max — which is better?

GPT-5.1 Medium (by OpenAI) and Qwen3.8 Max (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.

Choose GPT-5.1 Medium if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $1.25/M input and $10.00/M output

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

GPT-5.1 Medium and Qwen3.8 Maxdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-5.1 Medium specifies input context (400,000 tokens). Only GPT-5.1 Medium specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Medium
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Wed Aug 05 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5.1 Medium and Qwen3.8 Max support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5.1 Medium

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8 Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

GPT-5.1 Medium

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3.8 Max

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5.1 Medium was released on 2025-11-12, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.

Qwen3.8 Max is 9 months newer than GPT-5.1 Medium.

GPT-5.1 Medium

Nov 12, 2025

8 months ago

Qwen3.8 Max

Aug 2, 2026

3 days ago

8mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (400,000 tokens)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.8 Max

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5.1 Medium and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5.1 Medium
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8 Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Medium
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5.1 Medium vs Qwen3.8 Max.

Which is better, GPT-5.1 Medium or Qwen3.8 Max?

GPT-5.1 Medium (OpenAI) and Qwen3.8 Max (Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does GPT-5.1 Medium compare to Qwen3.8 Max in benchmarks?

GPT-5.1 Medium scores AIME 2025: 98.4%. Qwen3.8 Max scores PaperBench: 93.0%, GPQA: 92.6%, VideoMME w sub.: 90.4%, RealWorldQA: 88.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 86.6%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-5.1 Medium and Qwen3.8 Max?

GPT-5.1 Medium supports 400K tokens and Qwen3.8 Max supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

Who makes GPT-5.1 Medium and Qwen3.8 Max?

GPT-5.1 Medium is developed by OpenAI and Qwen3.8 Max is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

Related comparisons