GPT-5 Mini vs Qwen3.5-9B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between OpenAI's GPT-5 Mini and Alibaba's Qwen3.5-9B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Qwen3.5-9B
5.0x cheaper input, 13.3x cheaper output
Larger Context
GPT-5 Mini
400K vs 262K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | GPT-5 Mini | Qwen3.5-9B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.25 | $0.05 | Qwen3.5-9B is 80% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $2 | $0.15 | Qwen3.5-9B is 93% more expensive |
| Context Window | 400K | 262K | 2x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 33K | |
| Tokenizer | o200k_base | cl100k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | GPT-5 Mini | Qwen3.5-9B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 41 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 85 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 164.8 | -- | 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 | GPT-5 Mini | Qwen3.5-9B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0008 | $0.0001 | Same |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.0085 | $0.0009 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.0076 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.085 | $0.0095 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.075 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $0.850 | $0.095 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.755 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $8.50 | $0.950 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $7.55 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $850.00 | $95.00 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $755.00 |
Pros & Cons
GPT-5 Mini Strengths
- +Larger context window (400K vs 262K)
Qwen3.5-9B Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose GPT-5 Mini for
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
Choose Qwen3.5-9B for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, GPT-5 Mini or Qwen3.5-9B?
For input tokens, Qwen3.5-9B is 5.0x cheaper at $0.05/1M tokens. For output tokens, Qwen3.5-9B is 13.3x cheaper at $0.15/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), GPT-5 Mini costs $0.850 vs Qwen3.5-9B at $0.095.
What's the context window difference?
GPT-5 Mini supports 400K context (400,000 tokens), while Qwen3.5-9B supports 262K (262,144 tokens). GPT-5 Mini can handle 2x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose GPT-5 Mini over Qwen3.5-9B?
Choose GPT-5 Mini when you need: Larger context window (400K vs 262K). Choose Qwen3.5-9B when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): GPT-5 Mini = $8.50, Qwen3.5-9B = $0.950. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): GPT-5 Mini = $45.00, Qwen3.5-9B = $6.50.
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