Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Qwen3.5-Flash
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) and Qwen3.5-Flash (2026) are frontier reasoning models from Alibaba. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262k-token context window, while Qwen3.5-Flash ships a 1m-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by 2.5 pts. On pricing, Qwen3.5-Flash costs $0.07/1M 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.
Qwen3.5-Flash is ~457% cheaper at $0.07/1M; pay for Qwen3.5-397B-A17B only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.5-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Long context, Vision, and Classification |
| Context window | 262k | 1m |
| Cheapest output | $2.34/1M tokens | $0.26/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 2 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 2.5 points.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B uniquely exposes Reasoning, Function calling, and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-397B-A17B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3.5-Flash has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-Flash has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.26/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.5-Flash for Long context, Vision, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Qwen3.5-Flash
$121
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $776. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS and OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-Flash is $2.08/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning, Function calling, and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $2.08/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B adds Reasoning, Function calling, and Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-02-16 | 2026-02-23 |
| Context window | 262k | 1m |
| Parameters | 397B | — |
| Architecture | MoE | - |
| License | Apache 2.0(OSI) | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.5-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.39/1M tokens | $0.07/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.34/1M tokens | $0.26/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.5-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.5-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 87.8 | 85.3 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 89.3 | 84.2 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 87.8 and Qwen3.5-Flash at 85.3, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 2.5 points; Google-Proof Q&A has Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 89.3 and Qwen3.5-Flash at 84.2, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 5.1 points. The largest visible gap is 5.1 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 reasoning mode: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, function calling: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, tool use: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, and structured outputs: Qwen3.5-397B-A17B. Both models share vision and multimodal input, 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, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lists $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Qwen3.5-Flash lists $0.07/1M input and $0.26/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-Flash lower by about $0.85 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when reasoning depth and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-Flash when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.5-Flash?
Qwen3.5-Flash supports 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, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.5-Flash?
Qwen3.5-Flash is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-Flash costs $0.07/1M input and $0.26/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.5-Flash open source?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is listed under Apache 2.0. Qwen3.5-Flash 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, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.5-Flash?
Both Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Qwen3.5-Flash expose vision. 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 multimodal input, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.5-Flash?
Both Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Qwen3.5-Flash 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.
Where can I run Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Qwen3.5-Flash?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, and Novita AI. Qwen3.5-Flash is available on Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, OpenRouter, and Vercel AI Gateway. 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.