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 1,295), while Qwen 3 Max leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (67.8%), while Gemini 2.5 Flash is more budget-friendly at $0.4/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Previous Google speed workhorse.
Alibaba flagship. Strong math and multilingual code.
Currently comparing Gemini 2.5 Flash vs Qwen 3 Max. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 223 Arena Elo pts
185 tok/s
$0.4 / 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 | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Qwen 3 Max | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +223 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +18% | ||
| SWE-bench | +19.8% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +14.9% | ||
| Time to first token | +170 ms | ||
| Output speed | 185 tok/s | 80 tok/s | +105 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.1/1M | $1.2/1M | +$1.1/1M |
| Output price | $0.4/1M | $4.8/1M | +$4.4/1M |
| Context window | +738k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Gemini 2.5 Flash is estimated to save $104.50/month ($1,254/year).
Higher SWE-bench (67.8%).
Lower output list price ($0.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (110 ms).
Larger window (1M).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Qwen 3 Max | Higher SWE-bench (67.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Lower output list price ($0.4/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Lower TTFT (110 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Gemini 2.5 Flash | Larger window (1M). |
| 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.
Useful as a cheap historical compare. 3.7 Flash is the 2026 volume SKU.
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
