Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 16, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, MiniMax M2.5 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,478 vs 1,398), while MiniMax M2.5 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (75.8%), while Qwen3.8 27B 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.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
MiniMax coding model. Tied near the top of official SWE-bench bash-only in Feb 2026.
Alibaba open-weight 27B drop dated Aug 14 2026. Dense enough to self-host; not a frontier MoE.
Δ 80 Arena Elo pts
152 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 | MiniMax M2.5 | Qwen3.8 27B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +80 | ||
| Coding Elo | +114 | ||
| LiveBench | +3.8% | ||
| SWE-bench | +17% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +2.8% | ||
| Time to first token | +110 ms | ||
| Output speed | 90 tok/s | 152 tok/s | +62 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.3/1M | +$0.2/1M | |
| Output price | $1.2/1M | +$0.8/1M | |
| Context window | +74k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Qwen3.8 27B is estimated to save $19.00/month ($228/year).
Higher SWE-bench (75.8%).
Lower output list price ($0.4/1M).
Lower TTFT (140 ms).
Larger window (205k).
MiniMax M2.5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | MiniMax M2.5 | Higher SWE-bench (75.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower output list price ($0.4/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower TTFT (140 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | MiniMax M2.5 | Larger window (205k). |
| Screenshots / vision | MiniMax M2.5 | MiniMax M2.5 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Alibaba open-weight 27B drop. Local/open-weight lists should see it. It will not win frontier-agents.
Tied near the top of official SWE-bench bash-only in Feb 2026. Coding lists should still see it.
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
