Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct vs Qwen3 Max
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks. Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Qwen3 Max
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks.
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 Max has 520.0B more parameters than Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct, making it 108.3% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Qwen3 Max specifies input context (256,000 tokens). Only Qwen3 Max specifies output context (131,072 tokens).
License
Usage and distribution terms
Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Qwen3 Max uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct was released on 2025-01-31, while Qwen3 Max was released on 2025-12-15.
Qwen3 Max is 11 months newer than Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct.
Jan 31, 2025
1.6 years ago
Dec 15, 2025
8 months ago
10mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct and Qwen3 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Qwen3-Coder 480B A35B Instruct vs Qwen3 Max.