API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-4.1 Mini vs Qwen3.5-27B

Pick Qwen3.5-27B for lower cost; pick GPT-4.1 Mini only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T18:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Qwen3.5-27B for lower cost; pick GPT-4.1 Mini only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5-27B is estimated at $0.98 vs $1.2 for GPT-4.1 Mini, saving $0.23 (18.8% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3.5-27B

Context-first pickGPT-4.1 Mini

Sample savings$0.2318.8%

10x traffic gap$2.25

GPT-4.1 Mini has more context, but Qwen3.5-27B saves $0.23 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $2.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qwen3.5-27B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	GPT-4.1 Mini	Qwen3.5-27B
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Qwen3.5-27B	$2.8	$1.75
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Qwen3.5-27B	$2	$1.76
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Qwen3.5-27B	$8.4	$8

Cheaper input Qwen3.5-27B $0.4 vs $0.195 / 1M

Qwen3.5-27B is $0.21 cheaper per 1M input tokens (51.2% lower; 2.05x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3.5-27B $1.6 vs $1.56 / 1M

Qwen3.5-27B is $0.04 cheaper per 1M output tokens (2.5% lower; 1.03x difference).

Larger context GPT-4.1 Mini 1.05M vs 262.14K

GPT-4.1 Mini has 785.43K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3.5-27B $1.2 vs $0.98

Qwen3.5-27B is $0.23 cheaper on the standard workload (18.8% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

GPT-4.1 Mini Calculating… Estimated API cost

Qwen3.5-27B Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Qwen3.5-27B has the lower input price; Qwen3.5-27B has the lower output price; GPT-4.1 Mini offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3.5-27B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.2 for GPT-4.1 Mini and $0.98 for Qwen3.5-27B.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-4.1 Mini when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Qwen3.5-27B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5-27B is estimated at $0.98 vs $1.2 for GPT-4.1 Mini, saving $0.23 (18.8% lower).
Qwen3.5-27B is $0.23 cheaper on the standard workload (18.8% lower).
Qwen3.5-27B is $0.21 cheaper per 1M input tokens (51.2% lower; 2.05x difference).
Qwen3.5-27B is $0.04 cheaper per 1M output tokens (2.5% lower; 1.03x difference).
GPT-4.1 Mini has 785.43K more context (4x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	GPT-4.1 Mini (OpenAI)	Qwen3.5-27B (Qwen)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.4	$0.195
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$1.6	$1.56
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1.2	$0.98
Context Window	1.05M	262.14K
Release Date	2025-04-14	2026-02-25
Popularity	#51	#81

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Qwen3.5-27B	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5-27B is estimated at $0.98 vs $1.2 for GPT-4.1 Mini, saving $0.23 (18.8% lower).
High-volume input processing	Qwen3.5-27B	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Qwen3.5-27B	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	GPT-4.1 Mini	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-4.1 Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-4.1 Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-4.1 Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-4.1 Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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OpenAI catalog

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Qwen catalog

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