Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B (2026) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from NVIDIA AI and Alibaba. Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B ships a 1.05m-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by 9.3 pts. On pricing, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B costs $0.09/1M input tokens versus $0.39/1M 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.
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is ~333% cheaper at $0.09/1M; pay for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | long-context analysis and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Classification | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 1.05m | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $0.45/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 rows | Google-Proof Q&A leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.45/1M tokens.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B for RAG, Long context, and Classification.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads the largest shared benchmark signal on Google-Proof Q&A by 9.3 points.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning 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.
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B
$185
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $713. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $1.89/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is $1.89/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-03-11 | 2026-02-16 |
| Context window | 1.05m | 262k |
| Parameters | 120B | 397B |
| Architecture | decoder only | MoE |
| License | NVIDIA Open Model | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.09/1M tokens | $0.39/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.45/1M tokens | $2.34/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 80.0 | 89.3 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B at 80 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 89.3, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 9.3 points. The largest visible gap is 9.3 points on Google-Proof Q&A, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, multimodal input: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, reasoning mode: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, function calling: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, and tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. Both models share structured outputs, 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, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B lists $0.09/1M input and $0.45/1M 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 Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B lower by about $0.78 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when reasoning depth are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B supports 1.05m 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, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B costs $0.09/1M input and $0.45/1M 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 Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is listed under NVIDIA Open Model. 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, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B 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, Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?
Nemotron 3 Super-120B-A12B is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, DeepInfra, NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter, and Fireworks AI. 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: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.