tokevenClaudevsAlibaba (Qwen)
Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Qwen 3.8 Max
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, task quality, and projected cost at higher scale.
Pricing
Side-by-side pricing
Claude Sonnet 4.5
Mid-tierQwen 3.8 Max
FlagshipInput $/MTok
$3.00
$2.00
Output $/MTok
$15.00
$6.00
Cache discount
90% off
88% off
Context
200K
1M
Quality
Task confidence comparison
Confidence score from zero to one hundred by task type, where higher is better.
Code Generation
0
vs
0
Code Review
0
vs
0
Summarization
0
vs
0
Q&A
0
vs
0
Extraction
0
vs
0
Reasoning
0
vs
0
Classification
0
vs
0
Creative Writing
0
vs
0
Claude Sonnet 4.5
Qwen 3.8 Max
Guidance
When to use Claude Sonnet 4.5 vs Qwen 3.8 Max
Choose Claude Sonnet 4.5 when...
- Similar performance; consider provider preference or ecosystem fit.
Choose Qwen 3.8 Max when...
- -Cost matters: 33% cheaper on input tokens
- -You need a larger context window (1M vs 200K)
At scale
Cost at scale
Estimated cost assuming a seventy percent input and thirty percent output token split.
Claude Sonnet 4.5
Qwen 3.8 Max
100K tokens
$0.66
$0.32Cheaper
1M tokens
$6.60
$3.20Cheaper
10M tokens
$66.00
$32.00Cheaper
FAQ
When should I use Claude Sonnet 4.5 instead of Qwen 3.8 Max?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Qwen 3.8 Max perform similarly across all tracked tasks. Pick based on pricing and provider preference.
Is Qwen 3.8 Max cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.5?
Yes. Qwen 3.8 Max input costs $2.00/MTok vs $3.00/MTok for Claude Sonnet 4.5, saving 33% on input.
What are the context window sizes for Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Qwen 3.8 Max?
Claude Sonnet 4.5 has a 200K token context window. Qwen 3.8 Max has a 1M token context window.
Go deeper on either model
Per-call cost calculators, provider lineups, and price history for both models on this page.
Other comparisons
How Claude Sonnet 4.5 and Qwen 3.8 Max stack up against the rest of the field.
Track your real costs
Comparisons show estimated costs at list price. The dashboard reveals your real spend and savings.