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Every score has a dated snapshot.

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  3. GPT-5 mini vs Qwen 3 Max

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026

GPT-5 mini vs Qwen 3 Max benchmark

This page compares GPT-5 mini (OpenAI) and Qwen 3 Max (Alibaba) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, Qwen 3 Max is ahead by 108 points (1,518 vs 1,410; seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, Qwen 3 Max resolves 67.8% versus 52.4% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). GPT-5 mini streams faster (155 tok/s) while GPT-5 mini is the cheaper output token ($2/1M). GPT-5 mini has the larger context window (400k tokens). Every cell below is a dated snapshot from a named public source — we do not invent missing scores, and we do not run SWE-bench ourselves.

Quick answer

GPT-5 mini vs Qwen 3 Max is a dated snapshot, not a lab score. Qwen 3 Max leads preference Elo (1,518 vs 1,410). Qwen 3 Max leads SWE-bench coding. GPT-5 mini is the cheaper output token. Elo is crowd preference, not an exam. Pick the column that matches the job.
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OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Cost-efficient GPT-5 distill for high-volume agents.

Elo 1,410$2/1M out

Alibaba

Qwen 3 Max

Alibaba flagship. Strong math and multilingual code.

Elo 1,518$3.9/1M out

Swap or Add Any Model to this Matchup

Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs

Model A
Model B
Quick vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Claude Opus 4.6vs Claude Sonnet 4.5vs Claude 3.7 Sonnet

Interactive Comparison Diagram

Matchup Breakdown

Tug-of-War Matchup Matrix

Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.

GPT-5 mini (5)vsQwen 3 Max (5)
GPT-5 mini: 5W (50%)Overall: Even matchupQwen 3 Max: 5W (50%)
← GPT-5 miniQwen 3 Max →
Qwen 3 Max (5/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Preference Elo
1,410vs1,518
Coding Elo
1,395vs1,526
SWE-bench
52.4%vs67.8%
LiveBench
61.2%vs69.4%
GPQA Diamond
72%vs83.1%
GPT-5 mini: 0WQwen 3 Max: 5W
GPT-5 mini (2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Output speed
155 tok/svs80 tok/s
Time to first token
140 msvs280 ms
GPT-5 mini: 2WQwen 3 Max: 0W
GPT-5 mini (3/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Output price
$2/1Mvs$3.9/1M
Input price
$0.25/1Mvs$0.78/1M
Context window
400kvs262k
GPT-5 mini: 3WQwen 3 Max: 0W
Capability Matchup Radar

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Dimensional AdvantageEven 3–3
Preference Elo

Qwen 3 Max

108 pts advantage

Throughput Speed

GPT-5 mini

75 tok/s faster

Price Efficiency

GPT-5 mini

$1.90/1M cheaper

Full Benchmark Score Matrix

—
Elo
High is better
1,410
EloHigh is better
1,518+8%
Code Elo
High is better
1,395
Code EloHigh is better
1,526+9%
LiveBench
High is better
61.2%
LiveBenchHigh is better
69.4%+13%
SWE-bench
High is better
52.4%
SWE-benchHigh is better
67.8%+29%
GPQA
High is better
72%
GPQAHigh is better
83.1%+15%
TTFT
Low is better
+100%140 ms
TTFTLow is better
280 ms
Speed
High is better
+94%155 tok/s
SpeedHigh is better
80 tok/s
In $
Low is better
+212%$0.25/1M
In $Low is better
$0.78/1M
Out $
Low is better
+95%$2/1M
Out $Low is better
$3.9/1M
Context
High is better
+53%400k
ContextHigh is better
262k
Interactive Simulator

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.

Save up to 55% with GPT-5 mini
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
GPT-5 mini$38.75 / mo
In: $8.75Out: $30.00
Qwen 3 Max$85.80 / mo
In: $27.30Out: $58.50
Estimated Cost Delta

GPT-5 mini is estimated to save $47.05/month ($565/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    Qwen 3 Max:Pick Qwen 3 Max when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    GPT-5 mini:Pick GPT-5 mini when you are optimizing output cost.
  • 3
    GPT-5 mini:Pick GPT-5 mini when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsQwen 3 Max

Higher SWE-bench (67.8%).

High-volume chatGPT-5 mini

Lower output list price ($2/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5 mini

Lower TTFT (140 ms).

Long-document RAGGPT-5 mini

Larger window (400k).

Screenshots / visionQwen 3 Max

Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsQwen 3 MaxHigher SWE-bench (67.8%).
High-volume chatGPT-5 miniLower output list price ($2/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5 miniLower TTFT (140 ms).
Long-document RAGGPT-5 miniLarger window (400k).
Screenshots / visionQwen 3 MaxBoth accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
launchApr 18, 2026

Qwen 3 Max: Alibaba’s flagship for math and multilingual code

Closed flagship. Strong math. Compare to Sol and Opus on GPQA and SWE-bench, not on brand heat.

launchSep 20, 2025

Qwen3 235B: the open MoE Qwen, not the Max SKU

Sep 2025 open-weight mixture-of-experts. Self-host path. Don’t confuse it with Qwen 3 Max.

launchAug 8, 2025

GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

High-volume agents that cannot pay Sol. Compare to Luna before you assume the new cheap SKU wins.

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CompareLLM Matrix

Verified head-to-head card

LIVE
VS
OpenAI

GPT-5 mini

Elo 1,410
LiveBench61.2%
SWE-bench52.4%
Speed155 tok/s
Output cost$2/1M
Alibaba

Qwen 3 Max

Elo 1,518
LiveBench69.4%
SWE-bench67.8%
Speed80 tok/s
Output cost$3.9/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, GPT-5 mini or Qwen 3 Max?
Qwen 3 Max has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,518). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, GPT-5 mini or Qwen 3 Max?
Qwen 3 Max leads SWE-bench at 67.8% vs 52.4%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
GPT-5 mini output tokens are $2/1M versus $3.9/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, GPT-5 mini or Qwen 3 Max?
GPT-5 mini has the lower time-to-first-token (140 ms vs 280 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5 mini accepts 400k tokens versus 262k.
Can I self-host either model?
Neither model is marked open-weights here. You are comparing hosted APIs.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. GPT-5 mini and Qwen 3 Max Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • launch · Apr 18, 2026

    Qwen 3 Max: Alibaba’s flagship for math and multilingual code

  • launch · Sep 20, 2025

    Qwen3 235B: the open MoE Qwen, not the Max SKU

  • launch · Aug 8, 2025

    GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All GPT-5 mini matchups →|All Qwen 3 Max matchups →
GPT-5 mini vs OpenAI: o3 Mini (previous gpt-mini)GPT-5 mini vs GPT-5.6 Luna (next gpt-mini)Qwen 3 Max vs Qwen QwQ 32B (previous qwen)Qwen 3 Max vs Qwen3.8 27B (next qwen)GPT-4.5 Orion vs Qwen 3 MaxGPT-5.6 Terra vs Qwen 3 Max