Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct vs Qwen3.5-4B
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct (2025) and Qwen3.5-4B (2026) are general-purpose language models from AI at Meta and Alibaba. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct ships a 1m-token context window, while Qwen3.5-4B ships a 262k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing. The goal is to make the tradeoff clear before deeper testing.
Qwen3.5-4B is safer overall; choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct when long-context analysis matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Qwen3.5-4B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Long context | Long context and Vision |
| Context window | 1m | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $0.97/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 0 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Long context.
- Qwen3.5-4B uniquely exposes Vision in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-4B for Long context and Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct
$435
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Qwen3.5-4B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Qwen3.5-4B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Qwen3.5-4B adds Vision in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen3.5-4B and Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision before moving production traffic.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2026-03-02 |
| Context window | 1m | 262k |
| Parameters | 400B (17B active) | 4B |
| Architecture | - | - |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Qwen3.5-4B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.24/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.97/1M tokens | - |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Qwen3.5-4B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Qwen3.5-4B and structured outputs: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct. Both models share 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: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has $0.24/1M input tokens and Qwen3.5-4B has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 2 tracked routes versus 0. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-4B when vision-heavy evaluation 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, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Qwen3.5-4B?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct supports 1m tokens, while Qwen3.5-4B supports 262k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Qwen3.5-4B open source?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is listed under Proprietary. Qwen3.5-4B 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, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Qwen3.5-4B?
Qwen3.5-4B has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Qwen3.5-4B?
Both Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Qwen3.5-4B 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 structured outputs, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Qwen3.5-4B?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Qwen3.5-4B?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway. Qwen3.5-4B is available on the tracked providers still being sourced. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.