Qwen vs xAI
Complete comparison of Qwen (10 models) and xAI (5 models) for AI coding projects. Updated April 2026.
Quick Verdict
Qwen offers 10 models ranging from $0.080 to $5.00 per million input tokens. Cheapest: Qwen Turbo.
xAI offers 5 models ranging from $0.300 to $5.00 per million input tokens. Cheapest: Grok 3 Mini.
Winner on price: Qwen ($0.080/M input). Winner on average: Qwen (avg $1.21/M).
Winner Per Scenario
Which provider has the cheapest model for each coding scenario?
| Scenario | Qwen Best | xAI Best | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | Qwen Turbo — $0.01 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.03 | Qwen wins by $0.02 |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | Qwen Turbo — $0.08 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.21 | Qwen wins by $0.13 |
| Large Project (50K lines) | Qwen Turbo — $0.38 | Grok 3 Mini — $1.02 | Qwen wins by $0.64 |
| Code Review (5K lines) | Qwen Turbo — $0.02 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.07 | Qwen wins by $0.05 |
Head-to-Head Model Comparisons
Each Qwen model matched against its closest-priced xAI competitor. Medium project cost (500K input + 200K output).
| Qwen | xAI | Cost | Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3.6 Plus | Grok 3 | $4.66 | $4.05 | Grok 3 saves $0.61 (13%) |
| Qwen Max | Grok Code | $1.84 | $2.02 | Qwen Max saves $0.18 (9%) |
| Qwen Plus | Grok 3 Mini | $0.38 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.17 (46%) |
| Qwen Turbo | Grok 3 Mini | $0.08 | $0.21 | Qwen Turbo saves $0.13 (63%) |
| Qwen Coder Plus | Grok 3 Mini | $1.08 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.88 (81%) |
| Qwen Coder Turbo | Grok 3 Mini | $0.34 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.13 (39%) |
| Qwen 3 Coder | Grok 3 Mini | $0.57 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.37 (64%) |
| Qwen 3 Turbo | Grok 3 Mini | $0.17 | $0.21 | Qwen 3 Turbo saves $0.03 (16%) |
| Qwen 3 Max | Grok 4 | $5.75 | $6.75 | Qwen 3 Max saves $1.00 (15%) |
| Qwen Coder Turbo V2 | Grok 3 Mini | $0.34 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.14 (41%) |
Full Ranking — All 15 Models
Every model from both providers, ranked by medium project cost.
| # | Model | Provider | Input ($/M) | Medium Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen Turbo | Qwen | $0.080 | $0.08 |
| 2 | Qwen 3 Turbo | Qwen | $0.150 | $0.17 |
| 3 | Grok 3 Mini | xAI | $0.300 | $0.21 |
| 4 | Qwen Coder Turbo | Qwen | $0.250 | $0.34 |
| 5 | Qwen Coder Turbo V2 | Qwen | $0.300 | $0.34 |
| 6 | Qwen Plus | Qwen | $0.400 | $0.38 |
| 7 | Qwen 3 Coder | Qwen | $0.500 | $0.57 |
| 8 | Qwen Coder Plus | Qwen | $0.800 | $1.08 |
| 9 | Qwen Max | Qwen | $1.60 | $1.84 |
| 10 | Grok Code | xAI | $1.50 | $2.02 |
| 11 | Grok 3 | xAI | $3.00 | $4.05 |
| 12 | Qwen 3.6 Plus | Qwen | $3.00 | $4.66 |
| 13 | Qwen 3 Max | Qwen | $5.00 | $5.75 |
| 14 | Grok 3 Vision | xAI | $5.00 | $5.75 |
| 15 | Grok 4 | xAI | $5.00 | $6.75 |
Explore Individual Comparisons
Detailed side-by-side comparisons between specific models.