GPT-5 vs Qwen3.5-9B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between OpenAI's GPT-5 and Alibaba's Qwen3.5-9B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Qwen3.5-9B
25.0x cheaper input, 66.7x cheaper output
Larger Context
GPT-5
400K vs 262K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | GPT-5 | Qwen3.5-9B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $1.25 | $0.05 | Qwen3.5-9B is 96% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $10 | $0.15 | Qwen3.5-9B is 99% more expensive |
| Context Window | 400K | 262K | 2x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 33K | |
| Tokenizer | o200k_base | cl100k_base |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | GPT-5 | Qwen3.5-9B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 45 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 61 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 35.7 | -- | 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 | GPT-5 | Qwen3.5-9B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0042 | $0.0001 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.0042 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.042 | $0.0009 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.042 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.425 | $0.0095 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $0.415 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $4.25 | $0.095 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $4.16 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $42.50 | $0.950 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $41.55 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $4250.00 | $95.00 | Qwen3.5-9B saves $4155.00 |
Pros & Cons
GPT-5 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 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 or Qwen3.5-9B?
For input tokens, Qwen3.5-9B is 25.0x cheaper at $0.05/1M tokens. For output tokens, Qwen3.5-9B is 66.7x cheaper at $0.15/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), GPT-5 costs $4.25 vs Qwen3.5-9B at $0.095.
What's the context window difference?
GPT-5 supports 400K context (400,000 tokens), while Qwen3.5-9B supports 262K (262,144 tokens). GPT-5 can handle 2x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose GPT-5 over Qwen3.5-9B?
Choose GPT-5 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 = $42.50, Qwen3.5-9B = $0.950. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): GPT-5 = $225.00, Qwen3.5-9B = $6.50.