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.

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

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

qwen logo

Qwen3.5-9B

1.1x cheaper for a typical chat

Higher intelligence score

qwen logo

Qwen3.5-9B

13.3 vs 13 on Artificial Analysis

Larger context window

openai logo

GPT-5 Nano

400K vs 262K tokens

Newer release

qwen logo

Qwen3.5-9B

Released March 10, 2026

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores

Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.

Intelligence index

qwen logoQwen3.5-9B13.3
openai logoGPT-5 Nano13

Coding index

qwen logoQwen3.5-9B23.5
openai logoGPT-5 NanoNot available

Agentic index

qwen logoQwen3.5-9BNot available
openai logoGPT-5 NanoNot available

Pricing

Qwen3.5-9B vs GPT-5 Nano API pricing

Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.

Metricqwen logoQwen3.5-9Bopenai logoGPT-5 Nano
Input tokensPer 1M tokens$0.10$0.05
Output tokensPer 1M tokens$0.15$0.40
Cached input (read)Per 1M tokensNot available$0.01
Cache writePer 1M tokensNot availableNot available
Web searchPer requestNot 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

qwen logoQwen3.5-9B$0.27
openai logoGPT-5 Nano$0.30

Coding task

30K in, 4K out

qwen logoQwen3.5-9B$3.60
openai logoGPT-5 Nano$3.10$1.75 cached

Long document summary

150K in, 2K out

qwen logoQwen3.5-9B$15.30
openai logoGPT-5 Nano$8.30$1.55 cached

Specs

Context window and capabilities

How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.

Metricqwen logoQwen3.5-9Bopenai logoGPT-5 Nano
Context window262K tokens400K tokens
Max output33K tokens128K tokens
Input typesImage, Text, VideoFile, Image, Text
Output typesTextText
Reasoning effort levelsNot availableHigh, Medium, Low, Minimal
Default reasoning effortNot availableMedium
Release dateMarch 10, 2026August 7, 2025

Features

Supported features

API features available for each model.

Metricqwen logoQwen3.5-9Bopenai logoGPT-5 Nano
Tool callingSupportedSupported
Structured outputsSupportedSupported
JSON modeSupportedSupported
ReasoningSupportedSupported
TemperatureSupportedNot supported
Stop sequencesSupportedNot supported
Deterministic seedSupportedSupported
Verbosity controlNot supportedSupported

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.

qwen logoopenai logo

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.