Claude 3 Opus vs Qwen3.5-9B
Claude 3 Opus (2024) and Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Anthropic and Alibaba. Claude 3 Opus ships a 200k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-9B ships a 262k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Qwen3.5-9B leads by 14.0 pts. On pricing, Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $7.50/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Qwen3.5-9B is ~7400% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Claude 3 Opus only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude 3 Opus | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and provider-routed production | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $37.50/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 shared | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude 3 Opus has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Claude 3 Opus uniquely exposes Reasoning and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude 3 Opus for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3.5-9B holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 14.0 points.
- Qwen3.5-9B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-9B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.15/1M tokens.
- Qwen3.5-9B uniquely exposes Function calling and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-9B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude 3 Opus
$15,375
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Qwen3.5-9B
$118
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $15,258. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Claude 3 Opus and Qwen3.5-9B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen3.5-9B is $37.35/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Qwen3.5-9B adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3.5-9B and Claude 3 Opus; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Claude 3 Opus is $37.35/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Claude 3 Opus adds Reasoning and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-03-04 | 2026-03-02 |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Parameters | 2T | 9B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude 3 Opus | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $7.50/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $37.50/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude 3 Opus | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude 3 Opus | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 68.5 | 82.5 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Claude 3 Opus at 68.5 and Qwen3.5-9B at 82.5, with Qwen3.5-9B ahead by 14.0 points. The largest visible gap is 14.0 points on MMLU PRO, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Claude 3 Opus, function calling: Qwen3.5-9B, tool use: Qwen3.5-9B, and code execution: Claude 3 Opus. Both models share vision, multimodal input, and structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Claude 3 Opus lists $7.50/1M input and $37.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3.5-9B lists $0.10/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-9B lower by about $16.39 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Claude 3 Opus when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-9B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Claude 3 Opus or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B supports 262k tokens, while Claude 3 Opus supports 200k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Claude 3 Opus or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Claude 3 Opus costs $7.50/1M input and $37.50/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.10/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Claude 3 Opus or Qwen3.5-9B open source?
Claude 3 Opus is listed under Proprietary. Qwen3.5-9B is listed under Apache 2.0. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Claude 3 Opus or Qwen3.5-9B?
Both Claude 3 Opus and Qwen3.5-9B expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Claude 3 Opus or Qwen3.5-9B?
Both Claude 3 Opus and Qwen3.5-9B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run Claude 3 Opus and Qwen3.5-9B?
Claude 3 Opus is available on AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, Anthropic, and Replicate API. Qwen3.5-9B is available on Together AI, OpenRouter, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.