Qwen 3.8 Max pricing for code generation

Quick start

Call Qwen 3.8 Max 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-max",
    max_tokens=4000,
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your prompt here"}]
)
# Cost: ~$0.0280 per call at standard rates
# Input:  $2.00/MTok
# Output: $6.00/MTok

How Qwen 3.8 Max compares on cost

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

Cheapest viable option: Claude Haiku 4.5 at $0.0220/call (21% less, 72/100 quality).

What drives code generation cost

Cost here is dominated by output, not input: the model writes far more than you ask. A prompt with a short spec and a few reference files runs 2K input, but a complete module comes back at 4K output or more, so a model's output rate matters roughly twice as much as its input rate. The biggest saving is not a cheaper model: it is caching the system prompt and coding standards you resend on every call.

For Qwen 3.8 Max specifically, that means output tokens cost 3.0x more than input, at $6.00 vs $2.00 per MTok. At this use case’s 2,000/4,000 token split, output accounts for 86% of the $0.0280 per-call cost.

Qwen 3.8 Max quality benchmarks for code generation

Benchmark data for code generation is pending for Qwen 3.8 Max. Test against your own evaluation suite before moving to production.

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

About Qwen 3.8 Max

Prices from help.aliyun.com/en/model-studio (qwen3.8-max, read 2026-10-11). Cache hit: $0.25/MTok input. Not yet benchmarked, so never recommended.

Other models from Alibaba (Qwen)

You can compare Qwen 3.8 Max 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