Grok 4.3 vs Qwen3-Max
Grok 4.3 (2026) and Qwen3-Max (2025) are frontier reasoning models from xAI and Alibaba. Grok 4.3 ships a 1m-token context window, while Qwen3-Max ships a 262k-token context window. On pricing, Grok 4.3 ranges from $1.25 to $2.50/1M input tokens by tier; Qwen3-Max ranges from $1.20 to $3/1M input tokens by tier. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Grok 4.3 is safer overall; choose Qwen3-Max when vision-heavy evaluation matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 1m | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $2.50/1M tokens | $3.90/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 5 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4.3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 4.3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.50/1M tokens.
- Grok 4.3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Grok 4.3 uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4.3 for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-Max 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 4.3
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route/tier: xAI Console
Qwen3-Max
$1,599
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $26.00. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3-Max is $1.40/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4.3 is $1.40/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Grok 4.3 adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-05-06 | 2025-04-28 |
| Context window | 1m | 262k |
| Parameters | ~0.5T | — |
| Architecture | - | Decoder Only |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Weights | Not released | Unknown |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-11 | 2025-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Input price |
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| Output price |
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| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | 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.
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-10. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.