Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools (2026) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Google DeepMind and Alibaba. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools ships a 1M-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262K-token context window. On pricing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input tokens versus $2/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is ~413% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Cheapest output | $12/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.34/1M tokens.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Multimodal, Reasoning, and Function calling in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-397B-A17B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
$4,600
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $3,703. 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.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $9.66/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Multimodal, Reasoning, and Function calling in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is $9.66/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Multimodal, Reasoning, and Function calling before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-01-01 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Parameters | — | 397B |
| Architecture | decoder only | MoE |
| License | Unknown | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $12/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, reasoning mode: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, function calling: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, and tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. Both models share 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, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools lists $2/1M input and $12/1M output tokens, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lists $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lower by about $4.03 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when reasoning depth, 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 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools supports 1M tokens, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B supports 262K 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 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools costs $2/1M input and $12/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is listed under Unknown. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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 multimodal input, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is available on OpenRouter. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.