GPT-4o vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
GPT-4o (2024) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and Alibaba. GPT-4o ships a 128k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by 38.7 pts. On pricing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input tokens versus $2.50/1M 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.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is ~541% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for GPT-4o only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4o | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $10/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 5 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 2 shared | Google-Proof Q&A leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- GPT-4o has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- GPT-4o uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4o for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B holds a shared-benchmark lead on Google-Proof Q&A, ahead by 38.7 points.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.34/1M tokens.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Reasoning 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 route or tier on this page.
GPT-4o
$4,500
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $3,603. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, 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 $7.66/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4o is $7.66/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- GPT-4o adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-05-13 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 128k | 262k |
| Parameters | — | 397B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Weights | Not released | Available |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-10 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4o | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2.50/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $10/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4o | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | GPT-4o | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 50.6 | 89.3 |
| Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding | 69.1 | 85.0 |
Continue comparing
Popular comparisons for GPT-4o
Popular comparisons for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.