GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is 2.5x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5.1 Thinking outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified). Qwen3.5-397B-A17B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is roughly 2.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.1 Thinking also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-5.1 Thinking
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 2.5x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5.1 Thinking outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified).
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5.1 Thinking ($1.25/1M tokens) is 2.1x more expensive than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($0.60/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5.1 Thinking ($10.00/1M tokens) is 2.8x more expensive than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($3.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Thinking is more expensive than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.1 Thinking accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's 262,144 tokens. GPT-5.1 Thinking can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5.1 Thinking and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.1 Thinking 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.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-12, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B was released on 2026-02-16.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is 3 months newer than GPT-5.1 Thinking.
Nov 12, 2025
9 months ago
Feb 16, 2026
6 months ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GPT-5.1 Thinking is available from OpenAI. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available from Novita.
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.1 Thinking and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.