API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewQwen3.7 Max vs GPT-4.1

Pick GPT-4.1 when budget and context both matter.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T20:08:05Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GPT-4.1 when budget and context both matter.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-4.1 is estimated at $6 vs $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max, saving $0.25 (4% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-4.1

Context-first pickGPT-4.1

Sample savings$0.254%

10x traffic gap$2.5

GPT-4.1 is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $2.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors GPT-4.1, balanced workload favors Tie, and output-heavy chatbot favors Qwen3.7 Max.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Qwen3.7 Max	GPT-4.1
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	GPT-4.1	$16.25	$14
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Tie	$10	$10
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Qwen3.7 Max	$40	$42

Cheaper input GPT-4.1 $2.5 vs $2 / 1M

GPT-4.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3.7 Max $7.5 vs $8 / 1M

Qwen3.7 Max is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (6.2% lower; 1.07x difference).

Larger context GPT-4.1 1M vs 1.05M

GPT-4.1 has 47.58K more context (1.05x larger).

Sample workload GPT-4.1 $6.25 vs $6

GPT-4.1 is $0.25 cheaper on the standard workload (4% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Qwen3.7 Max Calculating… Estimated API cost

GPT-4.1 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

GPT-4.1 has the lower input price; Qwen3.7 Max has the lower output price; GPT-4.1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-4.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max and $6 for GPT-4.1.

Best Fit

Choose Qwen3.7 Max when you care most about lower output-token price.

Choose GPT-4.1 when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-4.1 is estimated at $6 vs $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max, saving $0.25 (4% lower).
GPT-4.1 is $0.25 cheaper on the standard workload (4% lower).
GPT-4.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
Qwen3.7 Max is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (6.2% lower; 1.07x difference).
GPT-4.1 has 47.58K more context (1.05x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewQwen3.7 Max (Qwen)	GPT-4.1 (OpenAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$2.5	$2
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$7.5	$8
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$6.25	$6
Context Window	1M	1.05M
Release Date	2026-05-21	2025-04-14
Popularity	#48	#69

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	GPT-4.1	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-4.1 is estimated at $6 vs $6.25 for Qwen3.7 Max, saving $0.25 (4% lower).
High-volume input processing	GPT-4.1	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Qwen3.7 Max	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	GPT-4.1	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen3.7 Max when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.7 Max when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3.7 Max when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3.7 Max when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.

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.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

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Qwen catalog

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OpenAI catalog

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