Qwen Max vs Grok 3 Mini
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 Mini
xAICost-effective xAI model for high-volume tasks. Good balance of capability and affordability.
| Input | $0.300/M |
| Output | $0.500/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple coding, cost-sensitive projects |
| Benchmark | 50/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Qwen Max | Grok 3 Mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68 | 50 | Qwen Max leads by 18pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 62 | 42 | Qwen Max leads by 20pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 70 | 52 | Qwen Max leads by 18pts |
| HumanEval | 86 | 72 | Qwen Max leads by 14pts |
| BigCodeBench | 54 | 36 | Qwen Max leads by 18pts |
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 Mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.25 | $0.03 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.22 (90%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $1.84 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $1.64 (89%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $9.20 | $1.02 | Grok 3 Mini saves $8.18 (89%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.44 | $0.07 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.38 (85%) |
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 | Higher cost per point |
| Grok 3 Mini | 50 | $0.006/pt | Better value |
Grok 3 Mini delivers the best value at $0.006 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Qwen Max
- + Strong Chinese language support
- + Good value
- - Less tested on English coding
Grok 3 Mini
- + Budget option
- + Fast
- - Limited capabilities
Verdict
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper at $0.300/M, but Qwen Max scores higher on benchmarks (68 vs 50).
Choose Grok 3 Mini for cost-sensitive projects, Qwen Max when performance matters most.
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