Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
This page compares OpenAI: o3 Mini (OpenAI) and Qwen 3 Max (Alibaba) using the latest snapshots we have as of Aug 16, 2026. On preference Elo, OpenAI: o3 Mini is ahead by 42 points (1,560 vs 1,518; seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). On SWE-bench coding, OpenAI: o3 Mini resolves 78.5% versus 67.8% (seed-bootstrap (Aug 1, 2026)). OpenAI: o3 Mini streams faster (92 tok/s) while Qwen 3 Max is the cheaper output token ($3.9/1M). Qwen 3 Max has the larger context window (262k 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.
OpenAI
OpenAI: o3 MiniAuto-discovered from OpenRouter (openai/o3-mini). Preview until a second source matches.
Instant pairwise benchmark recalculation across 400+ LLMs
Category wins across intelligence, speed, and pricing efficiency.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
42 pts advantage
12 tok/s faster
$0.50/1M cheaper
Simulate monthly production API costs based on published $/1M tokens.
Qwen 3 Max is estimated to save $18.70/month ($224/year).
Higher SWE-bench (78.5%).
Lower output list price ($3.9/1M).
Lower TTFT (280 ms).
Larger window (262k).
Qwen 3 Max is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | OpenAI: o3 Mini | Higher SWE-bench (78.5%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen 3 Max | Lower output list price ($3.9/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Qwen 3 Max | Lower TTFT (280 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Qwen 3 Max | Larger window (262k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Qwen 3 Max | Qwen 3 Max is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Closed flagship. Strong math. Compare to Sol and Opus on GPQA and SWE-bench, not on brand heat.
Sep 2025 open-weight mixture-of-experts. Self-host path. Don’t confuse it with Qwen 3 Max.
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