This model is deprecated. We only continue performance benchmarking for the default 10k input token workload. Results for other workloads are historical and no longer updated.

Alibaba has launched a newer model, Qwen3.7 Plus. We suggest considering it instead.

For more information, see comparison of Qwen3.7 Plus to other models and API provider benchmarks for Qwen3.7 Plus.

Alibaba logo
Alibaba
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Proprietary model

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Released April 2026

Qwen3.6 Plus API Provider Benchmarking & Analysis

Model Comparison

This analysis is intended to support you in choosing the best API provider of Qwen3.6 Plus for your use-case.

Fastest

#1
Alibaba CloudAlibaba Cloud
55.5 t/s

Output speed

Total 1 provider

Lowest Latency

#1
Alibaba CloudAlibaba Cloud
102.04 s

Time to first answer token

Total 1 provider

Lowest Price

#1
Alibaba CloudAlibaba Cloud
$0.43

Blended price (per 1M tokens)

Total 1 provider

Qwen3.6 Plus is available through Alibaba Cloud.

Highlights

Speed

Output tokens per second · Higher is better

End-to-End Response Time

Seconds · Lower is better

Price

USD per 1M tokens (blended) · Lower is better

Pricing

Pricing: Cache Hit, Input, and Output

Price (USD per M Tokens) · Lower is better · 10,000 input tokens

Price per token for cached prompts (previously processed), typically offering a significant discount compared to regular input price, represented as USD per million tokens. The values shown here are the cache hit price; cache write and cache storage are billed separately and vary by provider — see "Cache pricing by provider" for detail.

Pricing: Blended Price

Blended at 7:2:1 (cache-input-output) · USD per 1M tokens (blended) · Lower is better

Price per token, shown in USD per million tokens. Price is a blend of cache hit, input, and output token prices using the selected ratio (default 7:2:1 cache-input-output).

Pricing: Cache Discount

1 - (cache hit price / input price) · Higher is better

Reduction in input token cost due to cache hit relative to input price. Formula: 1 - (Cache Hit Price per Token / Input Token Price), where cache hit price is the first-party cache hit price or the median provider cache hit price. Note that this discount figure does not account for all costs associated with cache hits, such as cache write and storage costs.

Output Speed vs. Price

Blended at 7:2:1 (cache-input-output) · Output speed: output tokens per second · USD per 1M tokens (blended)
Most attractive quadrant

Tokens per second received while the model is generating tokens (ie. after first chunk has been received from the API for models which support streaming).

Speed

Measured by Output Speed (tokens per second)

Output Speed: Qwen3.6 Plus

Output speed: output tokens per second · 10,000 input tokens

Tokens per second received while the model is generating tokens (ie. after first chunk has been received from the API for models which support streaming).

Figures represent performance of the model's first-party API (e.g. OpenAI for o1) or the median across providers where a first-party API is not available (e.g. Meta's Llama models).

Latency vs. Output Speed

Latency: seconds to first token received · Output speed: output tokens per second · 10,000 input tokens
Most attractive quadrant

Tokens per second received while the model is generating tokens (ie. after first chunk has been received from the API for models which support streaming).

Latency

Measured by Time (seconds) to First Token

Time to First Answer Token

Seconds to first token received · Lower is better · 10,000 input tokens

Time to first answer token received, in seconds, after API request sent. For reasoning models, this includes the 'thinking' time of the model before providing an answer. For models which do not support streaming, this represents time to receive the completion.

Figures represent median (P50) measurement over the past 72 hours to reflect sustained changes in performance.

End-to-End Response Time

Seconds to output 500 tokens, calculated based on time to first token, 'thinking' time for reasoning models, and output speed

End-to-End Response Time

Seconds to output 500 tokens, including reasoning model 'thinking' time · Lower is better · 10,000 input tokens

Seconds to receive a 500 token response. Key components:

  • Input time: Time to receive the first response token
  • Thinking time (only for reasoning models): Time reasoning models spend outputting tokens to reason prior to providing an answer. Amount of tokens based on the average reasoning tokens across a diverse set of 60 prompts (methodology details).
  • Answer time: Time to generate 500 output tokens, based on output speed

Key Comparison Metrics & API Features

Alibaba Cloud logoAlibaba Cloud
1M
Proprietary
$0.36
56
1.98
110.19
99.27

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Qwen3.6 Plus providers

Qwen3.6 Plus is available through 1 API provider: Alibaba Cloud. Each provider offers different performance characteristics and pricing.

Qwen3.6 Plus is currently available through 1 API provider that we benchmark and track.

The fastest provider for Qwen3.6 Plus by output speed is Alibaba Cloud (55.5 t/s). Output speed measures how quickly tokens are generated after the model starts responding.

The provider with the lowest time to first answer token for Qwen3.6 Plus is Alibaba Cloud (102.04s). Lower latency means faster initial response time.

The most affordable provider for Qwen3.6 Plus by blended price is Alibaba Cloud ($0.43 per 1M tokens). Blended price uses a 7:2:1 cache hit/input/output token ratio.

The provider with the lowest input token pricing for Qwen3.6 Plus is Alibaba Cloud ($0.50 per 1M input tokens).

The provider with the lowest output token pricing for Qwen3.6 Plus is Alibaba Cloud ($3.00 per 1M output tokens).

The only provider of Qwen3.6 Plus supports JSON mode for structured output.

The only provider of Qwen3.6 Plus supports function calling (tool use).

Alibaba Cloud leads across all key metrics for Qwen3.6 Plus, offering the fastest speed, lowest latency, and most competitive pricing.

When choosing a provider for Qwen3.6 Plus, consider: output speed (for throughput-intensive tasks), latency (for interactive applications requiring quick first responses), pricing (for cost-sensitive workloads), and API features like JSON mode or function calling.

Yes, provider performance can vary over time due to infrastructure changes, load balancing, and updates. We continuously benchmark all providers and display historical performance trends in the "Over Time" charts.

For information about Qwen3.6 Plus's intelligence, capabilities, modalities, and how it compares to other models, see the model overview page. View model overview