Qwen Max vs Grok 3
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
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 |
Grok 3
xAIxAI's flagship model. Strong general-purpose capability with real-time knowledge access through X platform integration.
| Input | $3.00/M |
| Output | $15.00/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | General coding, research tasks, current-event-aware applications |
| Benchmark | 70/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Qwen Max | Grok 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68 | 70 | Grok 3 leads by 2pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 62 | 64 | Grok 3 leads by 2pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 70 | 72 | Grok 3 leads by 2pts |
| HumanEval | 86 | 88 | Grok 3 leads by 2pts |
| BigCodeBench | 54 | 56 | Grok 3 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 | Qwen Max | Grok 3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.25 | $0.55 | Qwen Max saves $0.31 (55%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $1.84 | $4.05 | Qwen Max saves $2.21 (55%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $9.20 | $20.25 | Qwen Max saves $11.05 (55%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.44 | $0.90 | Qwen Max saves $0.46 (51%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen Max | 68 | $0.024/pt | Better value |
| Grok 3 | 70 | $0.043/pt | Higher cost per point |
Qwen Max delivers the best value at $0.024 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Qwen Max
- + Strong Chinese language support
- + Good value
- - Less tested on English coding
Grok 3
- + Strong reasoning
- + X integration
- - Newer model
- - Limited ecosystem
Verdict
Qwen Max is cheaper at $1.60/M, but Grok 3 scores higher on benchmarks (70 vs 68).
Choose Qwen Max for cost-sensitive projects, Grok 3 when performance matters most.
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