Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Qwen 3.5 397B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash and Alibaba's Qwen 3.5 397B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Gemini 2.5 Flash
2.0x cheaper input, 1.4x cheaper output
Larger Context
Gemini 2.5 Flash
1.0M vs 128K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Qwen 3.5 397B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba | ||
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.3 | $0.6 | Gemini 2.5 Flash is 50% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $2.5 | $3.6 | Gemini 2.5 Flash is 31% more expensive |
| Context Window | 1.0M | 128K | 8x difference |
| Max Output | 66K | 33K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Qwen 3.5 397B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 21 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 231 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 68.7 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Qwen 3.5 397B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0010 | $0.0017 | Same |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.010 | $0.017 | Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $0.0063 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.105 | $0.168 | Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $0.063 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $1.05 | $1.68 | Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $0.630 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $10.50 | $16.80 | Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $6.30 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $1050.00 | $1680.00 | Gemini 2.5 Flash saves $630.00 |
Pros & Cons
Gemini 2.5 Flash Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (1.0M vs 128K)
- +Higher max output tokens
Qwen 3.5 397B Strengths
Part of the Alibaba ecosystem
When to Use Each Model
Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Choose Qwen 3.5 397B for
- →Projects already integrated with Alibaba's ecosystem
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Gemini 2.5 Flash or Qwen 3.5 397B?
For input tokens, Gemini 2.5 Flash is 2.0x cheaper at $0.3/1M tokens. For output tokens, Gemini 2.5 Flash is 1.4x cheaper at $2.5/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Gemini 2.5 Flash costs $1.05 vs Qwen 3.5 397B at $1.68.
What's the context window difference?
Gemini 2.5 Flash supports 1.0M context (1,048,576 tokens), while Qwen 3.5 397B supports 128K (128,000 tokens). Gemini 2.5 Flash can handle 8x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Gemini 2.5 Flash over Qwen 3.5 397B?
Choose Gemini 2.5 Flash when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (1.0M vs 128K), Higher max output tokens. Choose Qwen 3.5 397B when you need: a Alibaba ecosystem model.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Gemini 2.5 Flash = $10.50, Qwen 3.5 397B = $16.80. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Gemini 2.5 Flash = $55.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $96.00.
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