GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 Max
Qwen3.8 Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
OpenAI · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5.5 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro), while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 5 benchmarks (FrontierSWE, MRCR v2 (8-needle), OSWorld-Verified, SWE-Bench Pro, Toolathlon). Qwen3.8 Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-5.5
- you want predictable pricing at $5.00/M input and $30.00/M output
Choose Qwen3.8 Max
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 9 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 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-5.5 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro), while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 5 benchmarks (FrontierSWE, MRCR v2 (8-needle), OSWorld-Verified, SWE-Bench Pro, Toolathlon).
Qwen3.8 Max has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only GPT-5.5 specifies input context (1,050,000 tokens). Only GPT-5.5 specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both GPT-5.5 and Qwen3.8 Max support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-5.5
Qwen3.8 Max
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-5.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3.8 Max uses Qwen3.8-Max License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Qwen3.8-Max License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5.5 was released on 2026-04-23, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.
Qwen3.8 Max is 3 months newer than GPT-5.5.
Apr 23, 2026
4 months ago
Aug 2, 2026
3 weeks ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-12-01, while Qwen3.8 Max's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.5's training data extends to 2025-12-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3.8 Max's cutoff date.
Dec 2025
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Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5.5 and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 Max.