Llama 3.1 405B vs Qwen-Max
Llama 3.1 405B (2024) and Qwen-Max (2024) are compact production models from AI at Meta and Alibaba. Both ship a 128k-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. The goal is to make the tradeoff clear before deeper testing.
Llama 3.1 405B is safer overall; choose Qwen-Max when vision-heavy evaluation matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 3.1 405B | Qwen-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, Long context, and Classification | RAG, Long context, and Vision |
| Context window | 128k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | - | $4.16/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 0 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Local decision data tags Llama 3.1 405B for Coding, Long context, and Classification.
- Qwen-Max has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Qwen-Max uniquely exposes Vision and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen-Max for RAG, 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 3.1 405B
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Qwen-Max
$1,872
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama 3.1 405B and Qwen-Max; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Qwen-Max adds Vision and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qwen-Max and Llama 3.1 405B; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-07-23 | 2024-05-11 |
| Context window | 128k | 128k |
| Parameters | 405B | — |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | Llama 3 Community | Unknown / Unverified |
| Openness | Open weights | Unverified |
| Weights | Available | Unknown |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-12 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 3.1 405B | Qwen-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $1.04/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $4.16/1M tokens |
| Providers | - |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 3.1 405B | Qwen-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| JSON / Tool use | No | No |
| 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.
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Last reviewed: 2026-09-18. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.