API cost decision in 10 seconds

Qwen3.5 397B A17B vs 🔥DeepSeek V3.2

Pick DeepSeek V3.2 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.5 397B A17B only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick DeepSeek V3.2 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.5 397B A17B only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B, saving $1.12 (71.7% lower).

Cost-first pickDeepSeek V3.2
Context-first pickQwen3.5 397B A17B
Sample savings$1.1271.7%
10x traffic gap$11.19

Qwen3.5 397B A17B has more context, but DeepSeek V3.2 saves $1.12 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $11.19. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

DeepSeek V3.2 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickQwen3.5 397B A17BDeepSeek V3.2
Input-heavy / RAG 5M input + 500K output DeepSeek V3.2 $3.12 $1.45
Balanced workload 1M input + 1M output DeepSeek V3.2 $2.73 $0.63
Output-heavy chatbot 1M input + 5M output DeepSeek V3.2 $12.09 $2.14
Cheaper inputDeepSeek V3.2$0.39 vs $0.25 / 1M
Cheaper outputDeepSeek V3.2$2.34 vs $0.38 / 1M
Larger contextQwen3.5 397B A17B262.14K vs 131.07K
Sample workloadDeepSeek V3.2$1.56 vs $0.44

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Qwen3.5 397B A17BCalculating…Estimated API cost
DeepSeek V3.2Calculating…Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workloadCalculating…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

DeepSeek V3.2 has the lower input price, DeepSeek V3.2 has the lower output price, and Qwen3.5 397B A17B offers the larger context window.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B and $0.44 for DeepSeek V3.2.

Best Fit

Choose Qwen3.5 397B A17B when you care most about larger context window.

Choose DeepSeek V3.2 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureQwen3.5 397B A17B
(Qwen)		🔥DeepSeek V3.2
(DeepSeek)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.39$0.25
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$2.34$0.38
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$1.56$0.44
Context Window262.14K131.07K
Release Date2026-02-162025-12-01
Popularity#8
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...

DeepSeek V3.2

DeepSeek-V3.2 is a large language model designed to harmonize high computational efficiency with strong reasoning and agentic tool-use performance. It introduces DeepSeek Sparse Attention (DSA), a fine-grained sparse attention mechanism...

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionDeepSeek V3.2On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, DeepSeek V3.2 is estimated at $0.44 vs $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B, saving $1.12 (71.7% lower).
High-volume input processingDeepSeek V3.2Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsDeepSeek V3.2Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workQwen3.5 397B A17BA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files.