OpenAI o4-mini vs Qwen Max
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
OpenAI o4-mini
OpenAIUpdated mini reasoning model. Similar pricing to o3-mini with updated capabilities.
| Input | $1.10/M |
| Output | $4.40/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | General reasoning, coding tasks |
| Benchmark | 72/100 |
Qwen Max
QwenQwen's most powerful model. Strong reasoning and coding capabilities.
| Input | $1.60/M |
| Output | $6.40/M |
| Context | 32K tokens |
| Best For | Complex reasoning, advanced coding |
| Benchmark | 68/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | OpenAI o4-mini | Qwen Max | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72 | 68 | o4-mini leads by 4pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 66 | 62 | o4-mini leads by 4pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 74 | 70 | o4-mini leads by 4pts |
| HumanEval | 92 | 86 | o4-mini leads by 6pts |
| BigCodeBench | 56 | 54 | o4-mini leads by 2pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o4-mini | Qwen Max | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.17 | $0.25 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $0.08 (31%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $1.27 | $1.84 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $0.58 (31%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $6.33 | $9.20 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $2.88 (31%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.30 | $0.44 | OpenAI o4-mini saves $0.14 (31%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI o4-mini | 72 | $0.015/pt | Better value |
| Qwen Max | 68 | $0.024/pt | Higher cost per point |
OpenAI o4-mini delivers the best value at $0.015 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
OpenAI o4-mini
- + Improved reasoning at mini price
- - New model, limited data
Qwen Max
- + Strong Chinese language support
- + Good value
- - Less tested on English coding
Verdict
OpenAI o4-mini wins on both price and performance — $1.10/M input with a benchmark score of 72/100.
For most developers, this is the clear choice between these two models.
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