API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewOpenAI GPT Mini Latest vs Qwen3.5 397B A17B

Pick Qwen3.5 397B A17B for lower cost; pick OpenAI GPT Mini Latest only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Qwen3.5 397B A17B for lower cost; pick OpenAI GPT Mini Latest only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5 397B A17B is estimated at $1.56 vs $3 for OpenAI GPT Mini Latest, saving $1.44 (48% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3.5 397B A17B
Context-first pickOpenAI GPT Mini Latest
Sample savings$1.4448%
10x traffic gap$14.4

OpenAI GPT Mini Latest has more context, but Qwen3.5 397B A17B saves $1.44 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $14.4. 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 397B A17B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickOpenAI GPT Mini LatestQwen3.5 397B A17B
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3.5 397B A17B$6$3.12
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQwen3.5 397B A17B$5.25$2.73
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQwen3.5 397B A17B$23.25$12.09
Cheaper input Qwen3.5 397B A17B $0.75 vs $0.39 / 1M

Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $0.36 cheaper per 1M input tokens (48% lower; 1.92x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3.5 397B A17B $4.5 vs $2.34 / 1M

Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $2.16 cheaper per 1M output tokens (48% lower; 1.92x difference).

Larger context OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 400K vs 262.14K

OpenAI GPT Mini Latest has 137.86K more context (1.53x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3.5 397B A17B $3 vs $1.56

Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $1.44 cheaper on the standard workload (48% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
OpenAI GPT Mini Latest Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3.5 397B A17B 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 397B A17B has the lower input price; Qwen3.5 397B A17B has the lower output price; OpenAI GPT Mini Latest offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3.5 397B A17B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $3 for OpenAI GPT Mini Latest and $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B.

Best Fit

Choose OpenAI GPT Mini Latest when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Qwen3.5 397B A17B 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 397B A17B is estimated at $1.56 vs $3 for OpenAI GPT Mini Latest, saving $1.44 (48% lower).
  • Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $1.44 cheaper on the standard workload (48% lower).
  • Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $0.36 cheaper per 1M input tokens (48% lower; 1.92x difference).
  • Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $2.16 cheaper per 1M output tokens (48% lower; 1.92x difference).
  • OpenAI GPT Mini Latest has 137.86K more context (1.53x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewOpenAI GPT Mini Latest
(OpenAI)
Qwen3.5 397B A17B
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.75$0.39
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$4.5$2.34
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$3$1.56
Context Window400K262.14K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQwen3.5 397B A17BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5 397B A17B is estimated at $1.56 vs $3 for OpenAI GPT Mini Latest, saving $1.44 (48% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3.5 397B A17BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQwen3.5 397B A17BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workOpenAI GPT Mini LatestA 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 OpenAI GPT Mini Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace OpenAI GPT Mini Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace OpenAI GPT Mini Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace OpenAI GPT Mini Latest 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.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 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.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

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Provider catalogs

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OpenAI catalog

Review all tracked OpenAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Qwen catalog

Check other Qwen models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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OpenAI GPT Mini Latest

This model always redirects to the latest model in the OpenAI GPT Mini family.

Qwen3.5 397B A17B

The Qwen3.5 series 397B-A17B native vision-language model is built on a hybrid architecture that integrates a linear attention mechanism with a sparse mixture-of-experts model, achieving higher inference efficiency. It delivers...