GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.11 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30.6% lower; 1.44x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct vs GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini
Pick Qwen2.5 72B Instruct for lower cost; pick GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini 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 Qwen2.5 72B Instruct for lower cost; pick GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is estimated at $0.56 vs $1.25 for GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini, saving $0.69 (55.2% lower).
Cost-first pickQwen2.5 72B Instruct
Context-first pickGPT-5.1-Codex-Mini
Sample savings$0.6955.2%
10x traffic gap$6.9
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has more context, but Qwen2.5 72B Instruct saves $0.69 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $6.9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | $2 | $2.25 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | $0.76 | $2.25 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | $2.36 | $10.25 |
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $1.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (80% lower; 5x difference).
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has 268.93K more context (3.05x larger).
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $0.69 cheaper on the standard workload (55.2% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has the lower input price; Qwen2.5 72B Instruct has the lower output price; GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.56 for Qwen2.5 72B Instruct and $1.25 for GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini.
Choose Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when you care most about lower output-token price.
Choose GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is estimated at $0.56 vs $1.25 for GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini, saving $0.69 (55.2% lower).
- Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $0.69 cheaper on the standard workload (55.2% lower).
- GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.11 cheaper per 1M input tokens (30.6% lower; 1.44x difference).
- Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $1.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (80% lower; 5x difference).
- GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has 268.93K more context (3.05x larger).
| Feature | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct (Qwen) | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini (OpenAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.36 | $0.25 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.4 | $2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.56 | $1.25 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 400K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #137 | #150 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is estimated at $0.56 vs $1.25 for GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini, saving $0.69 (55.2% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
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- DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.
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GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is a smaller and faster version of GPT-5.1-Codex