Alibaba has launched a newer model, Qwen3 Max Thinking, we suggest considering this model instead.
For more information, see Comparison of Qwen3 Max Thinking to other models and API provider benchmarks for Qwen3 Max Thinking.
Qwen3 Max Intelligence, Performance & Price Analysis
Model summary
Intelligence
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Speed
Output tokens per second
Input Price
USD per 1M tokens
Output Price
USD per 1M tokens
Verbosity
Output tokens from Intelligence Index
Metrics are compared against models of the same class:
- Non-reasoning models → compared only with other non-reasoning models
- Reasoning models → compared across both reasoning and non-reasoning
- Open weights models → compared only with other open weights models of the same size class:
- Tiny: ≤4B parameters
- Small: 4B–40B parameters
- Medium: 40B–150B parameters
- Large: >150B parameters
- Proprietary models → compared across proprietary and open weights models of the same price range, using a blended 3:1 input/output price ratio:
- <$0.15 per 1M tokens
- $0.15–$1 per 1M tokens
- >$1 per 1M tokens
| Reasoning | No This page shows the non-reasoning version of this model. A reasoning variant may also exist. |
|---|---|
| Input modality | Supports: text |
| Output modality | Supports: text |
| Context window | 262k ~393 A4 pages of size 12 Arial font |
Qwen3 Max is amongst the leading models in intelligence and reasonably priced when comparing to other non-reasoning models of similar price. It's also slower than average and very verbose. The model supports text input, outputs text, and has a 262k tokens context window.
Qwen3 Max scores 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it well above average among comparable models (averaging 22). When evaluating the Intelligence Index, it generated 13M tokens, which is very verbose in comparison to the average of 3.9M.
Pricing for Qwen3 Max is $1.20 per 1M input tokens (moderately priced, average: $2.00) and $6.00 per 1M output tokens (moderately priced, average: $8.00). In total, it cost $196.60 to evaluate Qwen3 Max on the Intelligence Index.
At 55 tokens per second, Qwen3 Max is slower than average (57).
Intelligence
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index by Open Weights / Proprietary
Intelligence Evaluations
Openness
Artificial Analysis Openness Index: Results
Intelligence Index Comparisons
Intelligence vs. Price
Intelligence Index Token Use & Cost
Output Tokens Used to Run Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Cost to Run Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Context Window
Context Window
Pricing
Pricing: Input and Output Prices
Intelligence vs. Price (Log Scale)
Pricing Comparison of Qwen3 Max API Providers
Speed
Measured by Output Speed (tokens per second)
Output Speed
Output Speed vs. Price
Latency
Measured by Time (seconds) to First Token
Latency: Time To First Answer Token
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
Model Size (Open Weights Models Only)
Model Size: Total and Active Parameters
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Qwen3 Max
Qwen3 Max was released on September 23, 2025.
Qwen3 Max was created by Alibaba.
Qwen3 Max scores 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it well above average among other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 22).
Qwen3 Max generates output at 54.5 tokens per second (based on Alibaba's API), which is below average compared to other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 57.0 t/s).
Qwen3 Max has a time to first token (TTFT) of 2.71s (based on Alibaba's API), which is at the higher end compared to other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 1.55s).
Qwen3 Max costs $1.20 per 1M input tokens (better than average, median: $2.00) and $6.00 per 1M output tokens (better than average, median: $8.00), based on Alibaba's API.
Qwen3 Max costs $1.20 per 1M input tokens and $6.00 per 1M output tokens (based on Alibaba's API). For a blended rate (3:1 input to output ratio), this is $2.40 per 1M tokens. Pricing may vary by provider. Compare provider pricing
When evaluated on the Intelligence Index, Qwen3 Max generated 13M output tokens, which is at the higher end compared to other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 3.9M).
No, Qwen3 Max is not a reasoning model. It provides direct responses without extended chain-of-thought reasoning.
Qwen3 Max supports text input.
Qwen3 Max supports text output.
No, Qwen3 Max does not support image input. It can only process text.
No, Qwen3 Max is not multimodal. It only supports text input.
Qwen3 Max has a context window of 260k tokens. This determines how much text and conversation history the model can process in a single request.
No, Qwen3 Max is proprietary. The model weights are not publicly available.
Qwen3 Max is a proprietary model and Alibaba has not disclosed the model size or parameter count.
Qwen3 Max achieves a score of 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. This composite benchmark evaluates models across reasoning, knowledge, mathematics, and coding.
Yes, Qwen3 Max is available via API through 2 providers. Compare API providers
Qwen3 Max is available through 2 API providers. Compare providers