o3 vs Qwen3-Max
o3 (2025) and Qwen3-Max (2025) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and Alibaba. o3 ships a 200k-token context window, while Qwen3-Max ships a 262k-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, Qwen3-Max leads by 7.1 pts. On pricing, o3 costs $2/1M input tokens; 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.
Qwen3-Max is safer overall; choose o3 when coding workflow support matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | o3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $8/1M tokens | $3.90/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 1 shared | SWE-bench Verified leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- o3 uniquely exposes Reasoning and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3-Max holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 7.1 points.
- Qwen3-Max has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3-Max has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $3.90/1M tokens.
- 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.
o3
$3,600
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Qwen3-Max
$1,599
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $2,001. 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 $4.10/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o3 is $4.10/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- o3 adds Reasoning and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-16 | 2025-04-28 |
| Context window | 200k | 262k |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | 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 | 2024-06 | 2025-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | o3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $2/1M tokens |
|
| Output price | $8/1M tokens |
|
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | o3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | o3 | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 71.7 | 78.8 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.