Grok 4.3 vs Qwen3.5-9B
Grok 4.3 (2026) and Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from xAI and Alibaba. Grok 4.3 ships a 1M-token context window, while Qwen3.5-9B ships a 262K-token context window. On pricing, Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $1.25/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Qwen3.5-9B is ~1150% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for Grok 4.3 only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | RAG, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Cheapest output | $2.5/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 4.3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 4.3 uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok 4.3 for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Qwen3.5-9B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.15/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-9B for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Grok 4.3
$1,625
Cheapest tracked route: xAI Console
Qwen3.5-9B
$118
Cheapest tracked route: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $1,508. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-9B is $2.35/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 4.3 is $2.35/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Grok 4.3 adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-05-05 | 2026-03-02 |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Parameters | ~0.5T | 9B |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-11 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1.25/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.5/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 4.3 | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Grok 4.3. Both models share vision, multimodal input, function calling, and tool use, 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 4.3 lists $1.25/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens, while Qwen3.5-9B lists $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-9B lower by about $1.51 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 4.3 when reasoning depth and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-9B when vision-heavy evaluation and lower input-token cost 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
Which has a larger context window, Grok 4.3 or Qwen3.5-9B?
Grok 4.3 supports 1M tokens, while Qwen3.5-9B supports 262K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is cheaper, Grok 4.3 or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 4.3 costs $1.25/1M input and $2.5/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.1/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 4.3 or Qwen3.5-9B open source?
Grok 4.3 is listed under Proprietary. Qwen3.5-9B 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 4.3 or Qwen3.5-9B?
Both Grok 4.3 and Qwen3.5-9B 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 4.3 or Qwen3.5-9B?
Both Grok 4.3 and Qwen3.5-9B expose multimodal input. 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.
Where can I run Grok 4.3 and Qwen3.5-9B?
Grok 4.3 is available on xAI Console, OpenRouter, and Microsoft Foundry. Qwen3.5-9B is available on Together AI, OpenRouter, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.