Qwen3.8 Max vs QwQ-32B-Preview
Qwen3.8 Max leads the LLM Stats Score 51.8 to 9.0. QwQ-32B-Preview is 15.2x cheaper per token.
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Qwen3.8 Max leads the overall LLM Stats Score 51.8 to 9.0, ranking #11 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Qwen3.8 Max wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, QwQ-32B-Preview is roughly 15.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3.8 Max also accepts a larger context window (256,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Qwen3.8 Max
- overall performance matters — it scores 51.8 and ranks #11 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
Choose QwQ-32B-Preview
- cost matters — it's about 15.2x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
42 reported for Qwen3.8 Max · 4 for QwQ-32B-Preview
Qwen3.8 Max outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 0 benchmarks.
Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Qwen3.8 Max ($1.65/1M tokens) is 11.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, Qwen3.8 Max ($4.95/1M tokens) is 24.8x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3.8 Max is more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3.8 Max has 2367.5B more parameters than QwQ-32B-Preview, making it 7284.6% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3.8 Max accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to QwQ-32B-Preview's 32,768 tokens. Qwen3.8 Max can generate longer responses up to 256,000 tokens, while QwQ-32B-Preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Qwen3.8 Max supports multimodal inputs, whereas QwQ-32B-Preview does not.
Qwen3.8 Max can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Qwen3.8 Max
QwQ-32B-Preview
License
Usage and distribution terms
Qwen3.8 Max is licensed under Qwen3.8-Max License, while QwQ-32B-Preview uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Qwen3.8-Max License
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02, while QwQ-32B-Preview was released on 2024-11-28.
Qwen3.8 Max is 20 months newer than QwQ-32B-Preview.
Aug 2, 2026
1 months ago
1.7yr newerNov 28, 2024
1.8 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
QwQ-32B-Preview has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-28, while Qwen3.8 Max's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm QwQ-32B-Preview's training data extends to 2024-11-28, but cannot make a direct comparison without Qwen3.8 Max's cutoff date.
—
Nov 2024
Provider Availability
Qwen3.8 Max is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, Novita, Together. QwQ-32B-Preview is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.
Qwen3.8 Max
QwQ-32B-Preview
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Qwen3.8 Max and QwQ-32B-Preview side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Qwen3.8 Max vs QwQ-32B-Preview.