AI model comparison
Qwen3.5 397B A17B vs Claude Sonnet 4
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
The Qwen3.5 series 397B-A17B native vision-language model is built on a hybrid architecture that integrates a linear attention mechanism with a sparse mixture-of-experts model, achieving higher inference efficiency.
- Input / 1M
- $0.55
- Output / 1M
- $3.50
- Context
- 262K
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4
Claude Sonnet 4 significantly enhances the capabilities of its predecessor, Sonnet 3.7, excelling in both coding and reasoning tasks with improved precision and controllability.
- Input / 1M
- $3
- Output / 1M
- $15
- Context
- 200K
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Qwen3.5 397B A17B
4.7x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Qwen3.5 397B A17B
21.4 vs 18.9 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Qwen3.5 397B A17B
262K vs 200K tokens
Newer release
Qwen3.5 397B A17B
Released February 16, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Coding index
Agentic index
Pricing
Qwen3.5 397B A17B vs Claude Sonnet 4 API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.55 | $3 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $3.50 | $15 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.22 | $0.30 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | $3.75 |
| Long-context pricingPer 1M tokens, for very long prompts | Same rate at any length | $6 in / $22.50 out above 200K |
| Web searchPer request | Not available | $0.01 |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Long document summary
150K in, 2K out
Specs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 262K tokens | 200K tokens |
| Max output | 236K tokens | 64K tokens |
| Input types | Image, Text, Video | File, Image, Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | Not available | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Not available | Not available |
| Release date | February 16, 2026 | May 22, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Not supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Not supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Not supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Our take
Qwen3.5 397B A17B is 4.7x cheaper for a typical chat. Qwen3.5 397B A17B scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (21.4 vs 18.9). Qwen3.5 397B A17B has the larger context window (262K vs 200K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Qwen3.5 397B A17B or Claude Sonnet 4 cheaper?
Qwen3.5 397B A17B is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Qwen3.5 397B A17B costs $0.55 per 1M input tokens and $3.50 per 1M output tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4 costs $3 per 1M input tokens and $15 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Qwen3.5 397B A17B or Claude Sonnet 4?
Qwen3.5 397B A17B supports up to 262K tokens of context, compared with 200K for Claude Sonnet 4.
Is Qwen3.5 397B A17B smarter than Claude Sonnet 4?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Qwen3.5 397B A17B scores 21.4 and Claude Sonnet 4 scores 18.9, putting Qwen3.5 397B A17B ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Qwen3.5 397B A17B and Claude Sonnet 4 at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Qwen3.5 397B A17B and Claude Sonnet 4 answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Qwen3.5 397B A17B and Claude Sonnet 4 at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.