GPT-5.4 vs Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Name: GPT-5.4
Author: OpenAI

GPT-5.4 (2026) and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from OpenAI and Alibaba. GPT-5.4 ships a 1.1M-token context window, while Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262K-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by a hair. On pricing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input tokens versus $2.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is ~541% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for GPT-5.4 only for coding workflow support.

Decision scorecard

Local evidence first

Signal	GPT-5.4	Qwen3.5-397B-A17B	How to read it
Decision fit	Coding, RAG, and Agents	Coding, RAG, and Agents	Primary workload tags from local decision data.
Context window	1.1M	262K	Higher is better when prompts, retrieval chunks, or transcripts are large.
Cheapest output	$15/1M tokens	$2.34/1M tokens	Cheapest tracked provider route; verify your exact region and tier.
Provider routes	2 tracked	3 tracked	Broader coverage can reduce vendor lock-in and fallback risk.
Shared benchmarks	4 rows	MMLU PRO leader	Largest visible lead is 0.3 points on MMLU PRO.

Decision tradeoffs

Choose GPT-5.4 when...

GPT-5.4 leads the largest shared benchmark signal on Google-Proof Q&A by 2.7 points.
GPT-5.4 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
GPT-5.4 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
Local decision data tags GPT-5.4 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.

Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when...

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads the largest shared benchmark signal on MMLU PRO by 0.3 points.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $2.34/1M tokens.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
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 prices on this page.

Lower estimate Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Requests / monthInput tokens / requestOutput tokens / request

GPT-5.4

$5,750

Cheapest tracked route: OpenAI API

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

$897

Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter

Estimated monthly gap: $4,853. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.

Switch friction

GPT-5.4 -> Qwen3.5-397B-A17B

Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $12.66/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B -> GPT-5.4

Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
GPT-5.4 is $12.66/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
GPT-5.4 adds Code execution in local capability data.

Specs

Specification	GPT-5.4 OpenAI	Qwen3.5-397B-A17B Alibaba
Released	2026-03-05	2026-02-16
Context window	1.1M	262K
Parameters	—	397B
Architecture	decoder only	MoE
License	Proprietary	Apache 2.0
Knowledge cutoff	2025-08	-

Pricing and availability

Pricing attribute	GPT-5.4	Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Input price	$2.5/1M tokens	$0.39/1M tokens
Output price	$15/1M tokens	$2.34/1M tokens
Providers	OpenAI API OpenRouter	OpenRouter Together AI Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS

Capabilities

Capability	GPT-5.4	Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
Vision	No	No
Multimodal	Yes	Yes
Reasoning	Yes	Yes
Function calling	Yes	Yes
Tool use	Yes	Yes
Structured outputs	Yes	Yes
Code execution	Yes	No

Benchmarks

Benchmark	GPT-5.4	Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
MMLU PRO	87.5	87.8
SWE-bench Verified	71.7	76.2
Google-Proof Q&A	92.0	89.3
Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding	82.1	85.0

Deep dive

On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has GPT-5.4 at 87.5 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 87.8, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 0.3 points; SWE-bench Verified has GPT-5.4 at 71.7 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 76.2, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 4.5 points; Google-Proof Q&A has GPT-5.4 at 92 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 89.3, with GPT-5.4 ahead by 2.7 points. The largest visible gap is 4.5 points on SWE-bench Verified, 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 code execution: GPT-5.4. Both models share multimodal input, reasoning mode, function calling, and tool use, 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, GPT-5.4 lists $2.5/1M input and $15/1M output tokens, 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 Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lower by about $5.28 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.

Choose GPT-5.4 when coding workflow support and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice 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, GPT-5.4 or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?

GPT-5.4 supports 1.1M 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. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.

Which is cheaper, GPT-5.4 or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-5.4 costs $2.5/1M input and $15/1M 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 GPT-5.4 or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B open source?

GPT-5.4 is listed under Proprietary. 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 multimodal input, GPT-5.4 or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?

Both GPT-5.4 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.

Which is better for reasoning mode, GPT-5.4 or Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?

Both GPT-5.4 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B expose reasoning mode. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.

Where can I run GPT-5.4 and Qwen3.5-397B-A17B?

GPT-5.4 is available on OpenAI API and OpenRouter. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.

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Last reviewed: 2026-05-11. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.