Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.54 cheaper per 1M input tokens (54.5% lower; 2.2x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewGrok Build 0.1 vs Qwen3 235B A22B
Pick Qwen3 235B A22B for lower cost; pick Grok Build 0.1 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 235B A22B for lower cost; pick Grok Build 0.1 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 235B A22B is estimated at $1.36 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.64 (31.8% lower).
Cost-first pickQwen3 235B A22B
Context-first pickGrok Build 0.1
Sample savings$0.6431.8%
10x traffic gap$6.35
Grok Build 0.1 has more context, but Qwen3 235B A22B saves $0.64 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $6.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Qwen3 235B A22B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Grok Build 0.1 | Qwen3 235B A22B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Qwen3 235B A22B | $6 | $3.19 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Qwen3 235B A22B | $3 | $2.27 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Qwen3 235B A22B | $11 | $9.55 |
Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.18 cheaper per 1M output tokens (9% lower; 1.1x difference).
Grok Build 0.1 has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.64 cheaper on the standard workload (31.8% 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
Qwen3 235B A22B has the lower input price; Qwen3 235B A22B has the lower output price; Grok Build 0.1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen3 235B A22B is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2 for Grok Build 0.1 and $1.36 for Qwen3 235B A22B.
Choose Grok Build 0.1 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Qwen3 235B A22B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 235B A22B is estimated at $1.36 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.64 (31.8% lower).
- Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.64 cheaper on the standard workload (31.8% lower).
- Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.54 cheaper per 1M input tokens (54.5% lower; 2.2x difference).
- Qwen3 235B A22B is $0.18 cheaper per 1M output tokens (9% lower; 1.1x difference).
- Grok Build 0.1 has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
| Feature | NewGrok Build 0.1 (xAI) | Qwen3 235B A22B (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $1 | $0.455 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2 | $1.82 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2 | $1.36 |
| Context Window | 256K | 131.07K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #119 | #131 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Qwen3 235B A22B | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen3 235B A22B is estimated at $1.36 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.64 (31.8% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Qwen3 235B A22B | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Qwen3 235B A22B | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Grok Build 0.1 | 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 235B A22B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3 235B A22B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3 235B A22B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3 235B A22B 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.
- 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 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsxAI catalog
Review all tracked xAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open xAI modelsQwen catalog
Check other Qwen models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Qwen modelsGrok Build 0.1 is xAI’s fast coding model trained specifically for agentic software engineering workflows. It supports text and image inputs with text output, and is optimized for interactive coding...
Qwen3-235B-A22B is a 235B parameter mixture-of-experts (MoE) model developed by Qwen, activating 22B parameters per forward pass. It supports seamless switching between a "thinking" mode for complex reasoning, math, and...