Model Comparison
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct vs Qwen3 MaxWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is 1.8x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B Instruct vs Qwen3 Max — which is better?
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct (by Meta) and Qwen3 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.
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 Max is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Qwen3 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is roughly 1.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 Max also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Llama 3.1 405B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.8x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Qwen3 Max if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 Max is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Qwen3 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 3.1 405B Instruct ($0.89/1M tokens) is 1.8x more expensive than Qwen3 Max ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.1 405B Instruct ($0.89/1M tokens) is 5.6x cheaper than Qwen3 Max ($5.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 Max is more expensive than Llama 3.1 405B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 Max has 595.0B more parameters than Llama 3.1 405B Instruct, making it 146.9% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 Max accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to Llama 3.1 405B Instruct's 128,000 tokens. Qwen3 Max can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is limited to 128,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.1 Community License, while Qwen3 Max uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Llama 3.1 Community License
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23, while Qwen3 Max was released on 2025-12-15.
Qwen3 Max is 17 months newer than Llama 3.1 405B Instruct.
Jul 23, 2024
1.9 years ago
Dec 15, 2025
6 months ago
1.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is available from Lambda, DeepInfra, Fireworks, Bedrock, Together, Hyperbolic, Google, Replicate. Qwen3 Max is available from Novita.
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
Qwen3 Max
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 Max
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.1 405B Instruct vs Qwen3 Max.