GPT-5.4 Mini vs Qwen3.5-9B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between OpenAI's GPT-5.4 Mini and Alibaba's Qwen3.5-9B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Qwen3.5-9B
15.0x cheaper input, 30.0x cheaper output
Larger Context
GPT-5.4 Mini
400K vs 262K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | GPT-5.4 Mini | Qwen3.5-9B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.75 | $0.05 | Qwen3.5-9B is 93% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $4.5 | $0.15 | Qwen3.5-9B is 97% more expensive |
| Context Window | 400K | 262K | 2x difference |
| Max Output | 128K | 33K | |
| Tokenizer | o200k_base | cl100k_base |
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | GPT-5.4 Mini | Qwen3.5-9B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0021 | $0.0001 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.0020 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.021 | $0.0009 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.020 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.210 | $0.0095 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.201 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $2.10 | $0.095 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $2.00 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $21.00 | $0.950 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $20.05 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $2100.00 | $95.00 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $2005.00 |
Pros & Cons
GPT-5.4 Mini Strengths
- +Larger context window (400K vs 262K)
- +Higher max output tokens
Qwen3.5-9B Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose GPT-5.4 Mini for
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Choose Qwen3.5-9B for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.4 Mini or Qwen3.5-9B?
For input tokens, Qwen3.5-9B is 15.0x cheaper at $0.05/1M tokens. For output tokens, Qwen3.5-9B is 30.0x cheaper at $0.15/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), GPT-5.4 Mini costs $2.10 vs Qwen3.5-9B at $0.095.
What's the context window difference?
GPT-5.4 Mini supports 400K context (400,000 tokens), while Qwen3.5-9B supports 262K (262,144 tokens). GPT-5.4 Mini can handle 2x more context in a single request.
When should I choose GPT-5.4 Mini over Qwen3.5-9B?
Choose GPT-5.4 Mini when you need: Larger context window (400K vs 262K), Higher max output tokens. Choose Qwen3.5-9B when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): GPT-5.4 Mini = $21.00, Qwen3.5-9B = $0.950. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): GPT-5.4 Mini = $120.00, Qwen3.5-9B = $6.50.
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