Model Comparison
Qwen3.6 Max Preview
vs. Qwen3 Max Thinking
Comparing 2 AI models · 7 benchmarks · Alibaba
Recommended Pick
Al Qwen3.6 Max Preview 11 metric wins Strongest on: Throughput, Reasoning, Intelligence
Best Value
Qwen3 Max Thinking
100.0 value score
50.7 reasoning / $2.40/1M
Lowest Price
Qwen3 Max Thinking
$1.20/1M input price
Best Reasoning
Qwen3.6 Max Preview
56.5 reasoning score
Blends available reasoning benchmarks
Best for Coding
Qwen3.6 Max Preview
44.9 coding index
Composite Indices
Higher is better; speed and price are normalized
Standard Benchmarks
Only benchmarks with data are shown
Differences That Matter
Best value
Qwen3 Max Thinking has the strongest quality-to-price mix at 100.0 out of 100 value points.
Price gap
Qwen3 Max Thinking is 1.1x cheaper on input tokens than Qwen3.6 Max Preview.
Reasoning gap
Qwen3.6 Max Preview leads Qwen3 Max Thinking by 5.8 points on reasoning.
Coding gap
Qwen3.6 Max Preview leads Qwen3 Max Thinking by 14.4 points on coding.
Top-pick rationale
Qwen3.6 Max Preview wins 11 measurable categories, including Throughput, Reasoning, Intelligence, Coding.
Response Face-Off
Run one prompt through the selected models and compare response quality with live speed and cost context.
Qwen3.6 Max Preview
Alibaba
TTFT
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Time
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tok/s
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Tokens
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Cost
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Qwen3 Max Thinking
Alibaba
TTFT
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Time
—
tok/s
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Tokens
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Cost
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Which answer was more useful?
Full Comparison
| Metric | Top Pick Al Qwen3.6 Max Preview | Al Qwen3 Max Thinking |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing per 1M tokens | ||
| Input Cost | $1.30/1M | $1.20/1M |
| Output Cost | $7.80/1M | $6.00/1M |
| Blended (3:1) | $2.92/1M | $2.40/1M |
| Specifications | ||
| Organization | Alibaba | Alibaba |
| Release Date | Apr 20, 2026 | Jan 26, 2026 |
| Performance & Speed | ||
| Throughput | 41.0 tok/s | — |
| TTFT | 1889ms | — |
| Latency | 50702ms | — |
| Composite Indices | ||
| Value Score | 91.4 | 100.0 |
| Reasoning Score | 56.5 | 50.7 |
| Intelligence | 51.8 | 39.8 |
| Coding | 44.9 | 30.5 |
| Standard Benchmarks | ||
| GPQA | 88.8% | 86.1% |
| HLE | 28.9% | 26.2% |
| SciCode | 46.9% | 43.1% |
| LCR | 69.7% | 66.0% |
| IFBench | 76.6% | 70.7% |
| TAU-bench v2 | 95.9% | 83.6% |
| TerminalBench Hard | 43.9% | 24.2% |
Key Takeaways
Qwen3 Max Thinking offers the best value at $1.20/1M, making it ideal for high-volume applications and cost-conscious projects.
Qwen3.6 Max Preview has the strongest reasoning profile with a 56.5 reasoning score, combining the available reasoning-heavy benchmarks.
Qwen3.6 Max Preview reaches a 44.9 coding index, making it the top choice for software development and code generation tasks.
All models support context windows of ∞+ tokens, suitable for processing lengthy documents and maintaining extended conversations.
When to Choose Each Model
Qwen3.6 Max Preview
- Complex reasoning tasks
- Research & analysis
- Code generation
- Software development
Qwen3 Max Thinking
- Cost-sensitive applications
- High-volume processing
