Granite Vision 4.1 4B vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Granite Vision 4.1 4B (2026) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from IBM Research and Alibaba. Granite Vision 4.1 4B ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 256K-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Granite Vision 4.1 4B is safer overall; choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when reasoning depth matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Granite Vision 4.1 4B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Vision | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | — | 256K |
| Cheapest output | - | $3/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 0 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags Granite Vision 4.1 4B for Vision.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs 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.
Granite Vision 4.1 4B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$1,110
Cheapest tracked route/tier: DeepInfra
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Granite Vision 4.1 4B and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Granite Vision 4.1 4B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, JSON / Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-04-29 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | — | 256K |
| Parameters | 4B | 397B (17B active) |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Apache 2.0OSI-approved | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Weights | Available | Available |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Permitted | Permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Granite Vision 4.1 4B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $0.45/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $3/1M tokens |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Granite Vision 4.1 4B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, JSON / Tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, JSON / Tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, and structured outputs: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. Both models share vision and multimodal input, 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Granite Vision 4.1 4B has no token price listed and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has $0.45/1M input tokens. Provider availability is 0 listed routes versus 5. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Granite Vision 4.1 4B when vision-heavy evaluation are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when reasoning depth 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. For teams standardizing a stack, that distinction is often the difference between a benchmark win and a reliable deployment.
FAQ
Is Granite Vision 4.1 4B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?
Granite Vision 4.1 4B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 vision, Granite Vision 4.1 4B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Both Granite Vision 4.1 4B and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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, Granite Vision 4.1 4B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Both Granite Vision 4.1 4B and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Granite Vision 4.1 4B 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.
Which is better for JSON / Tool use, Granite Vision 4.1 4B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented JSON / Tool use signal in this comparison. If JSON / Tool use is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Granite Vision 4.1 4B and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, Novita AI, and DeepInfra. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
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Last reviewed: 2026-10-27. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.