R1 0528 is $0.54 cheaper per 1M input tokens (51.9% lower; 2.08x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Qwen3.6 Max Preview vs R1 0528
Pick R1 0528 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.6 Max Preview 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 R1 0528 for lower cost; pick Qwen3.6 Max Preview only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $4.16 for Qwen3.6 Max Preview, saving $2.58 (62.1% lower).
Cost-first pickR1 0528
Context-first pickQwen3.6 Max Preview
Sample savings$2.5862.1%
10x traffic gap$25.85
Qwen3.6 Max Preview has more context, but R1 0528 saves $2.58 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $25.85. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
R1 0528 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen3.6 Max Preview | R1 0528 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | R1 0528 | $8.32 | $3.58 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | R1 0528 | $7.28 | $2.65 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | R1 0528 | $32.24 | $11.25 |
R1 0528 is $4.09 cheaper per 1M output tokens (65.5% lower; 2.9x difference).
Qwen3.6 Max Preview has 98.3K more context (1.6x larger).
R1 0528 is $2.58 cheaper on the standard workload (62.1% 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
R1 0528 has the lower input price; R1 0528 has the lower output price; Qwen3.6 Max Preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, R1 0528 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $4.16 for Qwen3.6 Max Preview and $1.57 for R1 0528.
Choose Qwen3.6 Max Preview when you care most about larger context window.
Choose R1 0528 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $4.16 for Qwen3.6 Max Preview, saving $2.58 (62.1% lower).
- R1 0528 is $2.58 cheaper on the standard workload (62.1% lower).
- R1 0528 is $0.54 cheaper per 1M input tokens (51.9% lower; 2.08x difference).
- R1 0528 is $4.09 cheaper per 1M output tokens (65.5% lower; 2.9x difference).
- Qwen3.6 Max Preview has 98.3K more context (1.6x larger).
| Feature | Qwen3.6 Max Preview (Qwen) | R1 0528 (DeepSeek) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1.04 | $0.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $6.24 | $2.15 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $4.16 | $1.57 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 163.84K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #90 | #106 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | R1 0528 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, R1 0528 is estimated at $1.57 vs $4.16 for Qwen3.6 Max Preview, saving $2.58 (62.1% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | R1 0528 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | R1 0528 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Qwen3.6 Max Preview | 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 Qwen3.6 Max Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.6 Max Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3.6 Max Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3.6 Max Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- 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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