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Precision Benchmarks

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© 2026 CompareLLM. Public benchmark data aggregated from Arena Elo, LiveBench, SWE-bench & OpenRouter.

Every score has a dated snapshot.

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  3. GPT-5.6 Luna vs Qwen 3 Max

Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026

GPT-5.6 Luna vs Qwen 3 Max benchmark

In this head-to-head showdown, Qwen 3 Max delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,518 vs 1,466), while Qwen 3 Max leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (67.8%), while GPT-5.6 Luna is more budget-friendly at $1.2/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.

Executive Comparison Verdict

Bottom Line: Choose Qwen 3 Max if your priority is peak reasoning, complex code generation, and top preference Elo. Choose GPT-5.6 Luna if you are optimizing for low latency, high throughput, and cost-efficient API deployment.
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Verified Head-to-Head Advantage Breakdown

10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost

GPT-5.6 Luna (5)Qwen 3 Max (5)
GPT-5.6 Luna
5 of 10 Wins
✓Time to first token✓Output speed✓Input price✓Output price✓Context window
Qwen 3 Max
5 of 10 Wins
✓Preference Elo✓Coding Elo✓LiveBench✓SWE-bench✓GPQA Diamond
OpenAI
Leads 5 of 10 metrics
GPT-5.6 Luna

OpenAI 5.6 fast/cheap tier. Official API $0.20/$1.20 per 1M after the Jul 30 80% Luna cut.

Luna Fast / VolumeElo 1,466$1.2/1M out
Alibaba
Leads 5 of 10 metrics
Qwen 3 Max

Alibaba flagship. Strong math and multilingual code.

Elo 1,518$4.8/1M out

GPT-5.6 Series Lineage & Sibling Variants

3 models

Currently comparing GPT-5.6 Luna vs Qwen 3 Max. Alternative family tiers available.

Active: GPT-5.6 Luna
GPT-5.6 Sol$30GPT-5.6 Terra$12
Top Rival Showdowns for GPT-5.6 Luna
All Matchups
Compare vs:vs Claude Opus 4.5vs Gemini 3 Provs Grok 4.6vs DeepSeek V4 Provs Qwen3 235B
Preference LeaderQwen 3 Max Wins

Qwen 3 Max

Δ 52 Arena Elo pts

Throughput LeaderGPT-5.6 Luna Wins

GPT-5.6 Luna

188 tok/s

Value per Dollar LeaderGPT-5.6 Luna Wins

GPT-5.6 Luna

$1.2 / 1M output

Capability Percentiles

Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.

Multi-Dimensional Capability Radar

Leaders Matchup Capability Radar

Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.

Tap any node to inspect
Percentile 0–100
Head-to-Head Comparison

Overall Matchup Breakdown

Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.

GPT-5.6 Luna (5)vsQwen 3 Max (5)
GPT-5.6 Luna: 5W (50%)Overall: Even matchupQwen 3 Max: 5W (50%)
← GPT-5.6 LunaQwen 3 Max →
🏆Qwen 3 Max(5/5)

Intelligence & Reasoning

Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy

Benchmark
GPT-5.6 LunavsQwen 3 Max
Preference Elo
1,466vs1,518+52
Coding Elo
1,458vs1,526+68
SWE-bench
61.8%vs67.8%+6%
LiveBench
64.2%vs69.4%+5.2%
GPQA Diamond
75.4%vs83.1%+7.7%
GPT-5.6 Luna: 0WQwen 3 Max: 5W
🏆GPT-5.6 Luna(2/2)

Speed & Latency

Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness

Benchmark
GPT-5.6 LunavsQwen 3 Max
Output speed
188 tok/svs80 tok/s+108 tok/s
Time to first token
88 msvs280 ms+192 ms
GPT-5.6 Luna: 2WQwen 3 Max: 0W
🏆GPT-5.6 Luna(3/3)

Pricing & Capacity

Cost per million tokens and max context window length

Benchmark
GPT-5.6 LunavsQwen 3 Max
Output price
$1.2/1Mvs$4.8/1M+$3.6/1M
Input price
$0.2/1Mvs$1.2/1M+$1/1M
Context window
1Mvs262k+738k
GPT-5.6 Luna: 3WQwen 3 Max: 0W

Side-by-Side Benchmark Matrix

Preference Elo+52
GPT-5.6 Luna1,466
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max1,518
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Coding Elo+68
GPT-5.6 Luna1,458
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max1,526
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
LiveBench+5.2%
GPT-5.6 Luna64.2%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max69.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
SWE-bench+6%
GPT-5.6 Luna61.8%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max67.8%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
GPQA Diamond+7.7%
GPT-5.6 Luna75.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max83.1%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Time to first token+192 ms
GPT-5.6 Luna88 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max280 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Output speed+108 tok/s
GPT-5.6 Luna188 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max80 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Input price+$1/1M
GPT-5.6 Luna$0.2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max$1.2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Output price+$3.6/1M
GPT-5.6 Luna$1.2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max$4.8/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
Context window+738k
GPT-5.6 Luna1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
Qwen 3 Max262k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
BenchmarkGPT-5.6 LunaQwen 3 MaxAdvantage Delta
Preference Elo
1,466
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
1,518
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+52
Coding Elo
1,458
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
1,526
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+68
LiveBench
64.2%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
69.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+5.2%
SWE-bench
61.8%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
67.8%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+6%
GPQA Diamond
75.4%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
83.1%
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+7.7%
Time to first token
88 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
280 ms
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+192 ms
Output speed
188 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
80 tok/s
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+108 tok/s
Input price
$0.2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
$1.2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+$1/1M
Output price
$1.2/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
$4.8/1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+$3.6/1M
Context window
1M
seed-bootstrap · Aug 16, 2026
262k
seed-bootstrap · Aug 1, 2026
+738k
Interactive Simulator (USD)

Workload Cost & Savings Calculator

Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).

Save up to 78% with GPT-5.6 Luna
Monthly Volume50M tokens/mo
Quick Presets:
Token Ratio (In vs Out)70% In / 30% Out
RAG / Search (10% out)Coding / Chat (50% out)
GPT-5.6 Luna$25.00 / mo
In: $7Out: $18
Qwen 3 Max$114.00 / mo
In: $42Out: $72
Estimated Cost Delta

GPT-5.6 Luna is estimated to save $89.00/month ($1,068/year).

Based on 50M tokens (30% gen)

Key Selection Recommendations

  • 1
    Qwen 3 Max:Pick Qwen 3 Max when repo-level coding accuracy is the constraint.
  • 2
    GPT-5.6 Luna:Pick GPT-5.6 Luna when you are optimizing output cost.
  • 3
    GPT-5.6 Luna:Pick GPT-5.6 Luna when time-to-first-token matters more than peak Elo.

Recommended Workload Routing

Repo / coding agentsQwen 3 Max

Higher SWE-bench (67.8%).

High-volume chatGPT-5.6 Luna

Lower output list price ($1.2/1M).

Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5.6 Luna

Lower TTFT (88 ms).

Long-document RAGGPT-5.6 Luna

Larger window (1M).

Screenshots / visionQwen 3 Max

Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).

Target WorkloadRecommended PickEvaluation Rationale
Repo / coding agentsQwen 3 MaxHigher SWE-bench (67.8%).
High-volume chatGPT-5.6 LunaLower output list price ($1.2/1M).
Voice / low-latency UIGPT-5.6 LunaLower TTFT (88 ms).
Long-document RAGGPT-5.6 LunaLarger window (1M).
Screenshots / visionQwen 3 MaxBoth accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).

Related Editorial Dispatches & Benchmark Notes

View all news
priceJul 30, 2026

GPT-5.6 Luna’s 80% cut: $0.20/$1.20 for volume chat

Luna is the OpenAI fast/cheap 5.6 SKU after Jul 30. It is not Sol. Sort by price and TTFT, not Elo.

launchApr 18, 2026

Qwen 3 Max: Alibaba’s flagship for math and multilingual code

Closed flagship. Strong math. Compare to Sol and Opus on GPQA and SWE-bench, not on brand heat.

launchSep 20, 2025

Qwen3 235B: the open MoE Qwen, not the Max SKU

Sep 2025 open-weight mixture-of-experts. Self-host path. Don’t confuse it with Qwen 3 Max.

launchAug 8, 2025

GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

High-volume agents that cannot pay Sol. Compare to Luna before you assume the new cheap SKU wins.

Community Sentiment

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CompareLLM AI Matrix

Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry

LIVE BENCHMARK
VS
OpenAI

GPT-5.6 Luna

Elo 1,466
SWE-bench61.8%
Speed (tok/s)188 tok/s
Input / 1M Tokens$0.2/1M
Output / 1M Tokens$1.2/1M
Alibaba

Qwen 3 Max

Elo 1,518
SWE-bench67.8%
Speed (tok/s)80 tok/s
Input / 1M Tokens$1.2/1M
Output / 1M Tokens$4.8/1M

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better overall, GPT-5.6 Luna or Qwen 3 Max?
Qwen 3 Max has the higher preference Elo in our latest snapshot (1,518). “Better” still depends on coding, price, and latency — see the table.
Which is better at coding, GPT-5.6 Luna or Qwen 3 Max?
Qwen 3 Max leads SWE-bench at 67.8% vs 61.8%. SWE-bench is one harness, not your repo.
Which is cheaper to run in production?
GPT-5.6 Luna output tokens are $1.2/1M versus $4.8/1M. Input prices and retry rates still move the real bill.
Which is faster, GPT-5.6 Luna or Qwen 3 Max?
GPT-5.6 Luna has the lower time-to-first-token (88 ms vs 280 ms). Tokens/sec is a separate column if you care about long completions.
Which has the larger context window?
GPT-5.6 Luna accepts 1M tokens versus 262k.
Can I self-host either model?
Neither model is marked open-weights here. You are comparing hosted APIs.
Are these scores from CompareLLM’s own evals?
No. V1 aggregates public leaderboards (and optional first-party latency pings). Each cell names its source and date. Read /methodology.
What does preference Elo mean on this page?
Preference Elo is a crowd vote from LMArena / Arena. People see two hidden answers and pick the one they like more. The model that wins more often gets a higher Elo. That means people preferred it — not that it passed a school test. It is not SWE-bench, not accuracy, and not a number we invent. GPT-5.6 Luna and Qwen 3 Max Elo cells are dated snapshots from the named source — we do not compute Arena ourselves.

Related news

  • price · Jul 30, 2026

    GPT-5.6 Luna’s 80% cut: $0.20/$1.20 for volume chat

  • launch · Apr 18, 2026

    Qwen 3 Max: Alibaba’s flagship for math and multilingual code

  • launch · Sep 20, 2025

    Qwen3 235B: the open MoE Qwen, not the Max SKU

  • launch · Aug 8, 2025

    GPT-5 mini: the 2025 distill still useful as a cheap OpenAI baseline

Similar Head-to-Head Comparisons

All GPT-5.6 Luna matchups →|All Qwen 3 Max matchups →
GPT-5.6 Luna vs GPT-5 mini (previous gpt-mini)GPT-4.5 Orion vs Qwen 3 MaxGPT-5.6 Terra vs Qwen 3 MaxGPT-5 vs Qwen 3 MaxOpenAI o3-mini vs Qwen 3 MaxQwen QwQ 32B vs Qwen 3 Max