Qwen Max vs Qwen Turbo
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 |
Qwen Turbo
QwenFastest and cheapest Qwen model. Good for high-volume tasks.
| Input | $0.080/M |
| Output | $0.240/M |
| Context | 1M tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple coding |
| Benchmark | 42/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Qwen Max | Qwen Turbo | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68 | 42 | Qwen Max leads by 26pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 62 | 35 | Qwen Max leads by 27pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 70 | 44 | Qwen Max leads by 26pts |
| HumanEval | 86 | 65 | Qwen Max leads by 21pts |
| BigCodeBench | 54 | 28 | Qwen Max leads by 26pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | Qwen Max | Qwen Turbo | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.25 | $0.01 | Qwen Turbo saves $0.24 (96%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $1.84 | $0.08 | Qwen Turbo saves $1.76 (96%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $9.20 | $0.38 | Qwen Turbo saves $8.82 (96%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.44 | $0.02 | Qwen Turbo saves $0.42 (95%) |
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 |
| Qwen Turbo | 42 | $0.002/pt | Better value |
Qwen Turbo delivers the best value at $0.002 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Qwen Max
- + Strong Chinese language support
- + Good value
- - Less tested on English coding
Qwen Turbo
- + Cheapest option
- + Fast
- - Basic coding only
Verdict
Qwen Turbo is cheaper at $0.080/M, but Qwen Max scores higher on benchmarks (68 vs 42).
Choose Qwen Turbo for cost-sensitive projects, Qwen Max when performance matters most.
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