AI model comparison
Qwen3.5-9B vs GPT-5 Nano
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
Qwen
Qwen3.5-9B
Qwen3.5-9B is a multimodal foundation model from the Qwen3.5 family, designed to deliver strong reasoning, coding, and visual understanding in an efficient 9B-parameter architecture.
Qwen3.5-9B is scheduled to be retired on October 21, 2026. Consider Qwen3.8 27B instead.
- Input / 1M
- $0.10
- Output / 1M
- $0.15
- Context
- 262K
OpenAI
GPT-5 Nano
GPT-5-Nano is the smallest and fastest variant in the GPT-5 system, optimized for developer tools, rapid interactions, and ultra-low latency environments.
- Input / 1M
- $0.05
- Output / 1M
- $0.40
- Context
- 400K
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Qwen3.5-9B
1.1x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Qwen3.5-9B
13.3 vs 13 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
GPT-5 Nano
400K vs 262K tokens
Newer release
Qwen3.5-9B
Released March 10, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Coding index
Agentic index
Pricing
Qwen3.5-9B vs GPT-5 Nano API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.10 | $0.05 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.15 | $0.40 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | Not available | $0.01 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
| 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 | 400K tokens |
| Max output | 33K tokens | 128K tokens |
| Input types | Image, Text, Video | File, Image, Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | Not available | High, Medium, Low, Minimal |
| Default reasoning effort | Not available | Medium |
| Release date | March 10, 2026 | August 7, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Not supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Not supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Supported |
Our take
Qwen3.5-9B is 1.1x cheaper for a typical chat. Qwen3.5-9B scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (13.3 vs 13). GPT-5 Nano has the larger context window (400K vs 262K 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 Qwen3.5-9B or GPT-5 Nano cheaper?
Qwen3.5-9B is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.15 per 1M output tokens, while GPT-5 Nano costs $0.05 per 1M input tokens and $0.40 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Qwen3.5-9B or GPT-5 Nano?
GPT-5 Nano supports up to 400K tokens of context, compared with 262K for Qwen3.5-9B.
Is Qwen3.5-9B smarter than GPT-5 Nano?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Qwen3.5-9B scores 13.3 and GPT-5 Nano scores 13, putting Qwen3.5-9B ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Qwen3.5-9B and GPT-5 Nano at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Qwen3.5-9B and GPT-5 Nano answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Qwen3.5-9B and GPT-5 Nano at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.