o4-mini vs Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B
o4-mini (2025) and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B (2025) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and Alibaba. o4-mini ships a 200k-token context window, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $1/1M 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.
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is ~926% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | o4-mini | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 200k | — |
| Cheapest output | $4/1M tokens | $0.78/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- o4-mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- o4-mini uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags o4-mini for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.78/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
o4-mini
$1,800
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B
$273
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,527. 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-Next-80B-A3B is $3.22/1M 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.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- o4-mini is $3.22/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- o4-mini adds Vision, Multimodal, and Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-16 | 2025-12-01 |
| Context window | 200k | — |
| Parameters | — | 80B (3B active) |
| Architecture | decoder only | - |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | o4-mini | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $1/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $4/1M tokens | $0.78/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | o4-mini | Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | 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: o4-mini, multimodal input: o4-mini, reasoning mode: o4-mini, function calling: o4-mini, tool use: o4-mini, and code execution: o4-mini. 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, o4-mini lists $1/1M input and $4/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B lists $0.10/1M input and $0.78/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B lower by about $1.60 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose o4-mini when coding workflow support are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B when provider fit 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.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, o4-mini or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. o4-mini costs $1/1M input and $4/1M output tokens. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B costs $0.10/1M input and $0.78/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is o4-mini or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B open source?
o4-mini is listed under Proprietary. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B 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, o4-mini or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
o4-mini 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, o4-mini or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
o4-mini 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.
Which is better for reasoning mode, o4-mini or Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
o4-mini has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run o4-mini and Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B?
o4-mini is available on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, Replicate API, and Vercel AI Gateway. Qwen3-Next-80B-A3B is available on AWS Bedrock, OpenRouter, Venice AI, and Novita AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.