Qwen3.5-397B-A17B vs Qwen3.6 Max Preview
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B (2026) and Qwen3.6 Max Preview (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Alibaba. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ships a 262K-token context window, while Qwen3.6 Max Preview ships a 256K-token context window. On Google-Proof Q&A, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads by 3.3 pts. On pricing, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input tokens versus $1.04/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is ~167% cheaper at $0.39/1M; pay for Qwen3.6 Max Preview only for vision-heavy evaluation.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.6 Max Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 262K | 256K |
| Cheapest output | $2.34/1M tokens | $6.24/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | Google-Proof Q&A leader | 2 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B leads the largest shared benchmark signal on Google-Proof Q&A by 3.3 points.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- 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.
- Qwen3.6 Max Preview uniquely exposes Vision in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qwen3.6 Max Preview for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B
$897
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Qwen3.6 Max Preview
$2,392
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $1,495. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.6 Max Preview is $3.9/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Qwen3.6 Max Preview adds Vision in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is $3.9/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-02-16 | 2026-04-20 |
| Context window | 262K | 256K |
| Parameters | 397B | — |
| Architecture | MoE | moe |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.6 Max Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.39/1M tokens | $1.04/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.34/1M tokens | $6.24/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.6 Max Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Qwen3.5-397B-A17B | Qwen3.6 Max Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Google-Proof Q&A | 89.3 | 86.0 |
| Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding | 85.0 | 82.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, Google-Proof Q&A has Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 89.3 and Qwen3.6 Max Preview at 86, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 3.3 points; Massive Multi-discipline Multimodal Understanding has Qwen3.5-397B-A17B at 85 and Qwen3.6 Max Preview at 82, with Qwen3.5-397B-A17B ahead by 3 points. The largest visible gap is 3.3 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: Qwen3.6 Max Preview. 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, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lists $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens, while Qwen3.6 Max Preview lists $1.04/1M input and $6.24/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-397B-A17B lower by about $1.62 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Qwen3.5-397B-A17B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.6 Max Preview when vision-heavy evaluation 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 Qwen3.6 Max Preview?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B supports 262K tokens, while Qwen3.6 Max Preview supports 256K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.6 Max Preview?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Qwen3.5-397B-A17B costs $0.39/1M input and $2.34/1M output tokens. Qwen3.6 Max Preview costs $1.04/1M input and $6.24/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.6 Max Preview open source?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is listed under Apache 2.0. Qwen3.6 Max Preview is listed under Proprietary. 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 Qwen3.6 Max Preview?
Qwen3.6 Max Preview 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.
Which is better for multimodal input, Qwen3.5-397B-A17B or Qwen3.6 Max Preview?
Both Qwen3.5-397B-A17B and Qwen3.6 Max Preview 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 Qwen3.6 Max Preview?
Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is available on OpenRouter, Together AI, and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Qwen3.6 Max Preview is available on OpenRouter and Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-12. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.