Qwen 3.8 Flash pricing for categorization

Quick start

Call Qwen 3.8 Flash with the OpenAI Python SDK pointed at DashScope:

import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["DASHSCOPE_API_KEY"],
)
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="qwen3.8-flash",
    max_tokens=150,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your prompt here"}]
)
# Cost: ~$0.000190 per call at standard rates
# Input:  $0.15/MTok
# Output: $0.47/MTok

How Qwen 3.8 Flash compares on cost

Per-call cost for all models scoring 50+ on categorization benchmarks. Hover for details.

Highest-quality affordable option: GPT 5.6 Luna at $0.000340/call (1.8x the cost, 91/100 quality). Qwen 3.8 Flash is already the cheapest choice for categorization.

What drives categorization cost

Classification into a fixed taxonomy is token-efficient by construction: the taxonomy is the same on every call and the output is one label. Put the taxonomy in the cached prefix and the marginal cost per item approaches the cost of the item text alone. Model tier matters less here than in any other use case tracked.

For Qwen 3.8 Flash specifically, that means output tokens cost 3.1x more than input, at $0.47 vs $0.15 per MTok. At this use case’s 800/150 token split, output accounts for 37% of the $0.000190 per-call cost.

Qwen 3.8 Flash quality benchmarks for categorization

Benchmark data for categorization is pending for Qwen 3.8 Flash. Test against your own evaluation suite before moving to production.

Benchmark data is not yet available for Qwen 3.8 Flash. We recommend testing against your own evaluation criteria.

About Qwen 3.8 Flash

Prices from help.aliyun.com/en/model-studio (qwen3.8-flash, read 2026-10-11). Cache hit: $0.016/MTok input. Not yet benchmarked, so never recommended.

Other models from Alibaba (Qwen)

You can compare Qwen 3.8 Flash head-to-head against any other model on our model comparison pages, or track how pricing has changed over time on the pricing history tracker.

Frequently asked questions