Grok 4 Fast Reasoning vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Grok 4 Fast Reasoning (2025) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from xAI and Alibaba. Grok 4 Fast Reasoning ships a 2m-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 $1.25/1M 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 ~221% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for Grok 4 Fast Reasoning only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4 Fast Reasoning | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and long-context analysis | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Long context and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 2m | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $2.50/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4 Fast Reasoning has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4 Fast Reasoning for Long context and Vision.
- 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 Function calling, 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.
Grok 4 Fast Reasoning
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $728. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Grok 4 Fast Reasoning and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $0.16/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Grok 4 Fast Reasoning; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Grok 4 Fast Reasoning is $0.16/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-09-01 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 2m | 262k |
| Parameters | — | 397B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4 Fast Reasoning | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.50/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4 Fast Reasoning | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| 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 function calling: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, and structured outputs: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. Both models share vision, multimodal input, and reasoning mode, 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, Grok 4 Fast Reasoning lists $1.25/1M input and $2.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, 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 $0.65 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 4 Fast Reasoning when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when vision-heavy evaluation, 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, Grok 4 Fast Reasoning or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Grok 4 Fast Reasoning supports 2m 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, Grok 4 Fast Reasoning or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 4 Fast Reasoning costs $1.25/1M input and $2.50/1M 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 Grok 4 Fast Reasoning or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?
Grok 4 Fast Reasoning is listed under Proprietary. 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, Grok 4 Fast Reasoning or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Both Grok 4 Fast Reasoning 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, Grok 4 Fast Reasoning or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Both Grok 4 Fast Reasoning 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.
Where can I run Grok 4 Fast Reasoning and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Grok 4 Fast Reasoning is available on Microsoft Foundry and xAI Console. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.