Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17BWhich is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is 2.2x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (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.
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GDPval-AA, GPQA), while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is roughly 2.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4.5 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Grok 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B if…
- cost matters — it's about 2.2x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GDPval-AA, GPQA), while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 3.3x more expensive than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($0.60/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($3.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 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
Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's 262,144 tokens. Only Qwen3.5-397B-A17B specifies output context (64,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok 4.5 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.5
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 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
Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B was released on 2026-02-16.
Grok 4.5 is 5 months newer than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.
Jul 16, 2026
5 days ago
5mo newerFeb 16, 2026
5 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available from Novita.
Grok 4.5
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.