Llama 4 Maverick vs Qwen 3.5 397B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Meta's Llama 4 Maverick and Alibaba's Qwen 3.5 397B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Llama 4 Maverick
2.2x cheaper input, 4.2x cheaper output
Larger Context
Llama 4 Maverick
1.0M vs 128K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Llama 4 Maverick | Qwen 3.5 397B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Meta | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.27 | $0.6 | Llama 4 Maverick is 55% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $0.85 | $3.6 | Llama 4 Maverick is 76% more expensive |
| Context Window | 1.0M | 128K | 8x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 33K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Llama 4 Maverick | Qwen 3.5 397B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 18 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 130 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 68.1 | -- | 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 | Llama 4 Maverick | Qwen 3.5 397B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0005 | $0.0017 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.0012 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.0053 | $0.017 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.012 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.053 | $0.168 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $0.115 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $0.525 | $1.68 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $1.16 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $5.25 | $16.80 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $11.55 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $525.00 | $1680.00 | Llama 4 Maverick saves $1155.00 |
Pros & Cons
Llama 4 Maverick Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (1.0M vs 128K)
Qwen 3.5 397B Strengths
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose Llama 4 Maverick for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
Choose Qwen 3.5 397B for
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Maverick or Qwen 3.5 397B?
For input tokens, Llama 4 Maverick is 2.2x cheaper at $0.27/1M tokens. For output tokens, Llama 4 Maverick is 4.2x cheaper at $0.85/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Llama 4 Maverick costs $0.525 vs Qwen 3.5 397B at $1.68.
What's the context window difference?
Llama 4 Maverick supports 1.0M context (1,048,576 tokens), while Qwen 3.5 397B supports 128K (128,000 tokens). Llama 4 Maverick can handle 8x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Llama 4 Maverick over Qwen 3.5 397B?
Choose Llama 4 Maverick when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (1.0M vs 128K). Choose Qwen 3.5 397B when you need: Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Llama 4 Maverick = $5.25, Qwen 3.5 397B = $16.80. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Llama 4 Maverick = $35.50, Qwen 3.5 397B = $96.00.
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