Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Qwen 3 Max delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,518 vs 1,490), while Claude Opus 4 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (72.5%), while Qwen 3 Max is more budget-friendly at $4.8/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
First Claude 4 Opus generation. Baseline for opus 4 vs opus 5.
Alibaba flagship. Strong math and multilingual code.
Δ 28 Arena Elo pts
80 tok/s
$4.8 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Claude Opus 4 | Qwen 3 Max | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +28 | ||
| Coding Elo | +24 | ||
| LiveBench | +2.6% | ||
| SWE-bench | +4.7% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +2.7% | ||
| Time to first token | +110 ms | ||
| Output speed | 58 tok/s | 80 tok/s | +22 tok/s |
| Input price | $1.2/1M | +$13.8/1M | |
| Output price | $4.8/1M | +$70.2/1M | |
| Context window | +62k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Qwen 3 Max is estimated to save $1,536.00/month ($18,432/year).
Higher SWE-bench (72.5%).
Lower output list price ($4.8/1M).
Lower TTFT (280 ms).
Larger window (262k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Claude Opus 4 | Higher SWE-bench (72.5%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen 3 Max | Lower output list price ($4.8/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Qwen 3 Max | Lower TTFT (280 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Qwen 3 Max | Larger window (262k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Qwen 3 Max | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max). |
Closed flagship. Strong math. Compare to Sol and Opus on GPQA and SWE-bench, not on brand heat.
Sep 2025 open-weight mixture-of-experts. Self-host path. Don’t confuse it with Qwen 3 Max.
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