Compare / Qwen3.8-Max (0902) vs Qwen3-Max
Qwen3.8-Max (0902) vs Qwen3-Max
Which is cheaper, which is more capable, and which does better at each kind of work, from 11 results on 3 sources that measured both models.
Of the 11 results both models have, the better value on each. Results whose reported ranges overlap are too close to call.
Results as of 13 October 2026 (catalogue release 2026-10-13-2e2420e3c5cc).
Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max? The short answer
Pick Qwen3.8-Max (0902) if quality matters most: it scores higher (Intelligence Index 45.4 against 15.6). Pick Qwen3-Max if cost matters more: it costs 48% less per token.
- Qwen3-Max is cheaper: $1.56 against $3.00 per million tokens, 48% less.
- Qwen3.8-Max (0902) scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index: 45.4 against 15.6.
- Qwen3.8-Max (0902) is newer: released 3 Aug 2026, against 24 Sep 2025 for Qwen3-Max.
- On third-party benchmarks, on the results both models have: Qwen3.8-Max (0902) does better for reasoning and knowledge and writing; Qwen3-Max for sticking to the facts.
Head to head
Every fact side by side
| Qwen3.8-Max (0902) | Qwen3-Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per million tokens | $2.00 in · $6.00 out | $0.78 in · $3.90 out |
| Blended (3 in : 1 out) | $3.00 | $1.56 |
| Cheapest host, blended | – | – |
| Intelligence Index | 45.4 | 15.6 |
| Spring Prompt overall | 47 | – |
| Output speed, tokens a second | 37 | – |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 262,144 tokens |
| Released | 3 Aug 2026 (newer) | 24 Sep 2025 |
| Weights | Closed | Closed |
| Developer based in | China | China |
Prices are the developer's list price where we have read it, otherwise the typical host on OpenRouter; see every model's price. Intelligence and speed from Artificial Analysis.
Which is better for what
Each model's rank among the models on sale today, for each kind of work, from our own benchmarks and licensed sources. Further right is better; the better rank is in green.
Every shared result
Each model's best result on every measure both have, grouped by benchmark, with the setting that produced it. Under each measure, every model that benchmark has measured is a grey tick, best to the right, so you can see where the two sit in the field. The headline measures of each benchmark come first; the rest are under "Show all". Green marks the better value; where a source reports ranges that overlap, neither is marked.
| Measure | Qwen3.8-Max (0902) | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Arena (formerly LMArena) reported by Arena (formerly LMArena) · 3 results | ||
| Overall · TextArena rating, higher is better 20 · 108 of 387 measured | 1,482 | 1,423 |
| Business, management and finance · TextArena rating, higher is better 16 · 110 of 380 measured | 1,484 | 1,419 |
| Creative writing · TextArena rating, higher is better 17 · 105 of 385 measured | 1,468 | 1,393 |
| Artificial Analysis reported by Artificial Analysis · 3 results | ||
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence Indexindex score, higher is better 14 · 123 of 243 measured | 45.4 | 15.6 |
| GPQA Diamond% of questions, higher is better 15 · 132 of 231 measured | 92.8% | 76.4% |
| Humanity's Last Exam% of questions, higher is better 24 · 140 of 242 measured | 43.1% | 11.9% |
| SimpleQA Verified (Epoch AI) reported by SimpleQA Verified (Epoch AI) · 1 result | ||
| Correct answers% of questions, higher is better 30 · 27 of 76 measured | 47.3%xhigh reasoning | 48.7% |
Show all 11 results (4 more)
| Measure | Qwen3.8-Max (0902) | Qwen3-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Arena (formerly LMArena) reported by Arena (formerly LMArena) · 3 results | ||
| Expert prompts · TextArena rating, higher is better 20 · 137 of 338 measured | 1,513 | 1,417 |
| Instruction following · TextArena rating, higher is better 25 · 106 of 387 measured | 1,474 | 1,413 |
| Writing, literature and language · TextArena rating, higher is better 18 · 101 of 386 measured | 1,472 | 1,405 |
| Artificial Analysis reported by Artificial Analysis · 1 result | ||
| Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR)% of questions, higher is better 35 · 154 of 233 measured | 80.3% | 50.0% |
Compare them with other models
Quick answers
Is Qwen3.8-Max (0902) better than Qwen3-Max?
Pick Qwen3.8-Max (0902) if quality matters most: it scores higher (Intelligence Index 45.4 against 15.6). Pick Qwen3-Max if cost matters more: it costs 48% less per token.
Which is cheaper, Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max?
Qwen3-Max is cheaper: $1.56 against $3.00 per million tokens, 48% less.
Which is better for agents and tool use, Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max?
Qwen3.8-Max (0902) ranks 7 of 164 models on sale for multi-step tasks with tools: support desks, coding agents, function calls, against 154 for Qwen3-Max.
Which is better for reasoning and knowledge, Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max?
Qwen3.8-Max (0902) ranks 17 of 198 models on sale for hard questions across science, maths and general knowledge, against 121 for Qwen3-Max.
Which is better for writing, Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max?
Qwen3.8-Max (0902) ranks 16 of 188 models on sale for what people prefer in blind comparisons, and judged writing quality, against 99 for Qwen3-Max.
Which is better for sticking to the facts, Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max?
Qwen3.8-Max (0902) ranks 38 of 152 models on sale for summarising without inventing things, and factual answers, against 50 for Qwen3-Max.
Which has the bigger context window, Qwen3.8-Max (0902) or Qwen3-Max?
Qwen3.8-Max (0902): 1,000,000 tokens, against 262,144 for Qwen3-Max.
Run Qwen3.8-Max (0902) and Qwen3-Max on your own prompt
Benchmarks aren't your data. Try both side by side in the playground, with the cost of every answer.