Model Comparison
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Claude Fable 5Which is better in 2026?
Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is 14.8x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Claude Fable 5 — which is better?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) and Claude Fable 5 (by Anthropic) 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.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Fable 5 is better at 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified). Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is roughly 14.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude Fable 5 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B if…
- cost matters — it's about 14.8x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Claude Fable 5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Claude Fable 5 is better at 2 benchmarks (Humanity's Last Exam, SWE-Bench Verified).
Claude Fable 5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($0.60/1M tokens) is 16.7x cheaper than Claude Fable 5 ($10.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ($3.60/1M tokens) is 13.9x cheaper than Claude Fable 5 ($50.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Fable 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
Claude Fable 5 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Qwen3.5-397B-A17B's 262,144 tokens. Claude Fable 5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is limited to 64,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Claude Fable 5 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Claude Fable 5
License
Usage and distribution terms
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Claude Fable 5 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
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B was released on 2026-02-16, while Claude Fable 5 was released on 2026-06-09.
Claude Fable 5 is 4 months newer than Qwen3.5-397B-A17B.
Feb 16, 2026
3 months ago
Jun 9, 2026
0 days ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available from Novita. Claude Fable 5 is available from Anthropic.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Claude Fable 5
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Claude Fable 5
View detailsAnthropic
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Claude Fable 5.