MiniMax M2.1 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (3.3% lower; 1.03x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 vs MiniMax M2.1
Pick MiniMax M2.1 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick MiniMax M2.1 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MiniMax M2.1 is estimated at $0.76 vs $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, saving $0.44 (36.3% lower).
Cost-first pickMiniMax M2.1
Context-first pickQwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20
Sample savings$0.4436.3%
10x traffic gap$4.35
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 has more context, but MiniMax M2.1 saves $0.44 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $4.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
MiniMax M2.1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 | MiniMax M2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | MiniMax M2.1 | $2.4 | $1.92 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | MiniMax M2.1 | $2.1 | $1.24 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | MiniMax M2.1 | $9.3 | $5.04 |
MiniMax M2.1 is $0.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (47.2% lower; 1.89x difference).
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 has 795.2K more context (4.88x larger).
MiniMax M2.1 is $0.44 cheaper on the standard workload (36.3% 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
MiniMax M2.1 has the lower input price; MiniMax M2.1 has the lower output price; Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, MiniMax M2.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 and $0.76 for MiniMax M2.1.
Choose Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose MiniMax M2.1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MiniMax M2.1 is estimated at $0.76 vs $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, saving $0.44 (36.3% lower).
- MiniMax M2.1 is $0.44 cheaper on the standard workload (36.3% lower).
- MiniMax M2.1 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (3.3% lower; 1.03x difference).
- MiniMax M2.1 is $0.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (47.2% lower; 1.89x difference).
- Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 has 795.2K more context (4.88x larger).
| Feature | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 (Qwen) | MiniMax M2.1 (MiniMax) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.3 | $0.29 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.8 | $0.95 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.2 | $0.76 |
| Context Window | 1M | 204.8K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | MiniMax M2.1 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MiniMax M2.1 is estimated at $0.76 vs $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, saving $0.44 (36.3% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | MiniMax M2.1 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | MiniMax M2.1 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 | 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 Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
- 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.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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