GPT-5.1 Thinking vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B Comparison

Comparing GPT-5.1 Thinking and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

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.

Sun Mar 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs less

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Mar 15 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Input tokens$1.25
Output tokens$10.00
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-5.1 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.

OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Input262,144 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Sun Mar 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

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

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

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.

GPT-5.1 Thinking

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

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.

GPT-5.1 Thinking

Nov 12, 2025

4 months ago

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Feb 16, 2026

3 weeks ago

3mo 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

Provider Availability

GPT-5.1 Thinking 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-5.1 Thinking

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

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)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (88.4% vs 88.1%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (76.4% vs 76.3%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5.1 Thinking
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B