Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 vs Qwen3-235B-A22B
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 (2025) and Qwen3-235B-A22B (2025) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and Alibaba. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 ships a 1M-token context window, while Qwen3-235B-A22B ships a 128K-token context window. On pricing, Qwen3-235B-A22B costs $0.4/1M input tokens versus $1.25/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Qwen3-235B-A22B is ~213% cheaper at $0.4/1M; pay for Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Long context |
| Context window | 1M | 128K |
| Cheapest output | $10/1M tokens | $1.2/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.2/1M tokens.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-235B-A22B for Coding, RAG, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06
$3,500
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Qwen3-235B-A22B
$620
Cheapest tracked route: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $2,880. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3-235B-A22B is $8.8/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 is $8.8/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-05-06 | 2025-04-29 |
| Context window | 1M | 128K |
| Parameters | — | 235B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Unknown | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $1.2/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 | Qwen3-235B-A22B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint is close: both models cover structured outputs. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 lists $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output tokens, while Qwen3-235B-A22B lists $0.4/1M input and $1.2/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3-235B-A22B lower by about $3.24 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3-235B-A22B when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 supports 1M tokens, while Qwen3-235B-A22B supports 128K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Qwen3-235B-A22B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 costs $1.25/1M input and $10/1M output tokens. Qwen3-235B-A22B costs $0.4/1M input and $1.2/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Qwen3-235B-A22B open source?
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 is listed under Unknown. Qwen3-235B-A22B 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 structured outputs, Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 or Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Both Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 and Qwen3-235B-A22B expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 and Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 is available on OpenRouter. Qwen3-235B-A22B is available on Fireworks AI, AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, and Venice AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 over Qwen3-235B-A22B?
Qwen3-235B-A22B is ~213% cheaper at $0.4/1M; pay for Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06 only for long-context analysis. If your workload also depends on long-context analysis, start with Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview 05-06; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Qwen3-235B-A22B.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-20. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.