API cost decision in 10 seconds

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent vs Qwen3.5-9B

Pick Qwen3.5-9B for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent 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 Qwen3.5-9B for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5-9B is estimated at $0.11 vs $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent, saving $4.88 (97.7% lower).

Cost-first pickQwen3.5-9B
Context-first pickGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Sample savings$4.8897.7%
10x traffic gap$48.85

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has more context, but Qwen3.5-9B saves $4.88 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $48.85. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Qwen3.5-9B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentQwen3.5-9B
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputQwen3.5-9B$13$0.28
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputQwen3.5-9B$8$0.19
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputQwen3.5-9B$32$0.79
Cheaper input Qwen3.5-9B $2 vs $0.04 / 1M

Qwen3.5-9B is $1.96 cheaper per 1M input tokens (98% lower; 50x difference).

Cheaper output Qwen3.5-9B $6 vs $0.15 / 1M

Qwen3.5-9B is $5.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (97.5% lower; 40x difference).

Larger context Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent 2M vs 262.14K

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1.74M more context (7.63x larger).

Sample workload Qwen3.5-9B $5 vs $0.11

Qwen3.5-9B is $4.88 cheaper on the standard workload (97.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3.5-9B 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

Qwen3.5-9B has the lower input price; Qwen3.5-9B has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3.5-9B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent and $0.11 for Qwen3.5-9B.

Best Fit

Choose Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Qwen3.5-9B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5-9B is estimated at $0.11 vs $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent, saving $4.88 (97.7% lower).
  • Qwen3.5-9B is $4.88 cheaper on the standard workload (97.7% lower).
  • Qwen3.5-9B is $1.96 cheaper per 1M input tokens (98% lower; 50x difference).
  • Qwen3.5-9B is $5.85 cheaper per 1M output tokens (97.5% lower; 40x difference).
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1.74M more context (7.63x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
(xAI)		Qwen3.5-9B
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$2$0.04
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$6$0.15
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$5$0.11
Context Window2M262.14K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionQwen3.5-9BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3.5-9B is estimated at $0.11 vs $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent, saving $4.88 (97.7% lower).
High-volume input processingQwen3.5-9BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsQwen3.5-9BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGrok 4.20 Multi-AgentA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Grok Build 0.1 can replace Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.
  • Grok 4.3 can replace Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.5.
  • Grok 4.20 can replace Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.5.
  • Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen3.5-9B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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xAI catalog

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

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Qwen catalog

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

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Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is a variant of xAI’s Grok 4.20 designed for collaborative, agent-based workflows. Multiple agents operate in parallel to conduct deep research, coordinate tool use, and synthesize information...

Qwen3.5-9B

Qwen3.5-9B is a multimodal foundation model from the Qwen3.5 family, designed to deliver strong reasoning, coding, and visual understanding in an efficient 9B-parameter architecture. It uses a unified vision-language design...