GPT-5.2 vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
GPT-5.2 (2025) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from OpenAI and Alibaba. GPT-5.2 ships a 400k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, GPT-5.2 leads by 3.8 pts. On pricing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input tokens versus $1.75/1M 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 ~349% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for GPT-5.2 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-5.2 | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 400k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $14/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | SWE-bench Verified leader | 2 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- GPT-5.2 holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 3.8 points.
- GPT-5.2 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GPT-5.2 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-5.2 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B holds a shared-benchmark lead on τ-bench, ahead by 11.6 points.
- 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 route flexibility.
- 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-5.2
$4,900
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $4,003. 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 $11.66/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-5.2 is $11.66/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- GPT-5.2 adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-12-11 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 400k | 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 | 2025-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-5.2 | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.75/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $14/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-5.2 | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | 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-5.2 | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 80.0 | 76.2 |
| τ-bench | 75.1 | 86.7 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.