Grok 4-20 vs Qwen 3.5 397B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between xAI's Grok 4-20 and Alibaba's Qwen 3.5 397B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Qwen 3.5 397B
3.3x cheaper input, 1.7x cheaper output
Larger Context
Grok 4-20
131K vs 128K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Grok 4-20 | Qwen 3.5 397B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $2 | $0.6 | Qwen 3.5 397B is 70% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $6 | $3.6 | Qwen 3.5 397B is 40% more expensive |
| Context Window | 131K | 128K | 1x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 33K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Grok 4-20 | Qwen 3.5 397B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 49 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 101 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 24.3 | -- | 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 | Grok 4-20 | Qwen 3.5 397B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0038 | $0.0017 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $0.0021 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.038 | $0.017 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $0.021 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.380 | $0.168 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $0.212 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $3.80 | $1.68 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $2.12 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $38.00 | $16.80 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $21.20 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $3800.00 | $1680.00 | Qwen 3.5 397B saves $2120.00 |
Pros & Cons
Grok 4-20 Strengths
- +Larger context window (131K vs 128K)
Qwen 3.5 397B Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose Grok 4-20 for
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
Choose Qwen 3.5 397B for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Grok 4-20 or Qwen 3.5 397B?
For input tokens, Qwen 3.5 397B is 3.3x cheaper at $0.6/1M tokens. For output tokens, Qwen 3.5 397B is 1.7x cheaper at $3.6/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Grok 4-20 costs $3.80 vs Qwen 3.5 397B at $1.68.
What's the context window difference?
Grok 4-20 supports 131K context (131,072 tokens), while Qwen 3.5 397B supports 128K (128,000 tokens). Grok 4-20 can handle 1x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Grok 4-20 over Qwen 3.5 397B?
Choose Grok 4-20 when you need: Larger context window (131K vs 128K). Choose Qwen 3.5 397B 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): Grok 4-20 = $38.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $16.80. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Grok 4-20 = $260.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $96.00.