API cost decision in 10 seconds

Qwen3 Coder Next vs Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Pick Qwen3 Coder Next for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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 Qwen3 Coder Next for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Coder Next is estimated at $0.51 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $7.49 (93.6% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3 Coder Next
Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
Sample savings$7.4993.6%
10x traffic gap$74.9

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has more context, but Qwen3 Coder Next saves $7.49 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $74.9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qwen3 Coder Next stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickQwen3 Coder NextGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3 Coder Next$0.95$16
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQwen3 Coder Next$0.91$14
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQwen3 Coder Next$4.11$62
Cheaper input Qwen3 Coder Next $0.11 vs $2 / 1M

Qwen3 Coder Next is $1.89 cheaper per 1M input tokens (94.5% lower; 18.2x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3 Coder Next $0.8 vs $12 / 1M

Qwen3 Coder Next is $11.2 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 262.14K vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 786.61K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3 Coder Next $0.51 vs $8

Qwen3 Coder Next is $7.49 cheaper on the standard workload (93.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Qwen3 Coder Next Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools 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

Qwen3 Coder Next has the lower input price; Qwen3 Coder Next has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3 Coder Next is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.51 for Qwen3 Coder Next and $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools.

Best Fit

Choose Qwen3 Coder Next when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Coder Next is estimated at $0.51 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $7.49 (93.6% lower).
  • Qwen3 Coder Next is $7.49 cheaper on the standard workload (93.6% lower).
  • Qwen3 Coder Next is $1.89 cheaper per 1M input tokens (94.5% lower; 18.2x difference).
  • Qwen3 Coder Next is $11.2 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
  • Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools has 786.61K more context (4x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureQwen3 Coder Next
(Qwen)
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.11$2
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0.8$12
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0.51$8
Context Window262.14K1.05M
Release Date
Popularity#100#132

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQwen3 Coder NextOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 Coder Next is estimated at $0.51 vs $8 for Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools, saving $7.49 (93.6% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3 Coder NextLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQwen3 Coder NextLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom ToolsA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

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.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Qwen catalog

Review all tracked Qwen models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open Qwen models

Google catalog

Check other Google models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Google models
Qwen3 Coder Next

Qwen3-Coder-Next is an open-weight causal language model optimized for coding agents and local development workflows. It uses a sparse MoE design with 80B total parameters and only 3B activated per...

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools

Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview Custom Tools is a variant of Gemini 3.1 Pro that improves tool selection behavior by preventing overuse of a general bash tool when more efficient third-party...