Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Qwen 3 Max delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,518 vs 1,445), while Qwen 3 Max leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (67.8%), while Qwen 2.5 Plus is more budget-friendly at $1/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
Alibaba balanced flagship API model with high-throughput general reasoning.
Δ 73 Arena Elo pts
110 tok/s
$1 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Each spoke is a skill. Farther from the center is better (0–100th percentile). Tap any dot to inspect details.
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 | Qwen 2.5 Plus | Qwen 3 Max | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | Qwen 3 Max (+73) | ||
| Coding Elo | Qwen 3 Max (+66) | ||
| LiveBench | Qwen 3 Max (+5.9%) | ||
| SWE-bench | Qwen 3 Max (+8.6%) | ||
| GPQA Diamond | Qwen 3 Max (+7.3%) | ||
| Time to first token | Qwen 2.5 Plus (+100 ms) | ||
| Output speed | 110 tok/s | 80 tok/s | Qwen 2.5 Plus (+30 tok/s) |
| Input price | $0.25/1M | $0.78/1M | Qwen 2.5 Plus (+$0.53/1M) |
| Output price | $3.9/1M | Qwen 2.5 Plus (+$2.9/1M) | |
| Context window | Qwen 3 Max (+134k) |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Qwen 2.5 Plus is estimated to save $62.05/month ($745/year).
Higher SWE-bench (67.8%).
Lower output list price ($1/1M).
Lower TTFT (180 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 | Qwen 3 Max | Higher SWE-bench (67.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen 2.5 Plus | Lower output list price ($1/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Qwen 2.5 Plus | Lower TTFT (180 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.
No comments posted on this matchup yet. Be the first to share an evaluation note!
The real PNG is generated at /compare/qwen-2-5-plus-vs-qwen-3-max/opengraph-image for crawlers.
Verified head-to-head card