Model Comparison

Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) vs Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)

Compare the listed model data for Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) by Qwen and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) by Qwen. Benchmark and pricing records are not a controlled test and may change.

Data last updated: 2026-10-16. Verify current model details with each provider.

What the listed data says

Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE): 128K tokens; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE): 128K tokens. The listed context-window values are equal. Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) is listed for coding, reasoning, agentic workflows, long-context tasks; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) is listed for no specific capability flags. Shared catalog benchmark entries: MMLU: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 93.5%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 94.1%; LiveCodeBench: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 70.7%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 73.5%; AIME 2025: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 85.7%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 88.2%. These records are reference data, not a controlled head-to-head test; verify current pricing and specifications with each provider.

Computed differences from catalog data

  • The listed context windows are 128K tokens and 128K tokens; the larger is 1× the smaller.
  • On shared numeric benchmark entries, MMLU: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) − Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) = -0.6 percentage points (93.5% vs 94.1%); LiveCodeBench: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) − Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) = -2.8 percentage points (70.7% vs 73.5%); AIME 2025: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) − Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) = -2.5 percentage points (85.7% vs 88.2%).
  • The first listed parameter quantities are 235B total (22B active via MoE) and 397B total (17B active); the larger quantity is 1.69× the smaller. Total and active MoE parameters are not directly equivalent.
  • A release-date gap cannot be calculated from the catalog values (Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE): April 2025; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE): 2025).

Cost example: 1M input and 1M output tokens

A cost example for 1M input plus 1M output tokens cannot be calculated reliably because separate numeric input and output rates are not listed for both models.

Choose Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) if…

Choose Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) when your task aligns with catalog-listed uses or strengths such as Frontier-level coding: production systems, open-source contributions, Leetcode hard, Competition mathematics, physics, and chemistry at graduate level, Enterprise AI applications requiring highest available open-model quality, Long-form technical writing: whitepapers, research papers, documentation.

Choose Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) if…

Choose Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) when your task aligns with catalog-listed uses or strengths such as Frontier-level AI applications with efficiency constraints, Production deployments of Qwen3.5 quality at scale, Qwen3.5 flagship model — 397B knowledge at 17B inference cost, Near Qwen3 235B quality at more efficient inference.

Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE)

Browse Qwen models

Flagship Qwen3 — 235B total, 22B active. World-class reasoning, elite coding, 100+ languages. Rivals GPT-4o on most benchmarks.

Parameters: 235B total (22B active via MoE)

Context: 128K tokens

Catalog pricing: Open source — free to self-host. Third-party API ~$0.30-0.80/MTok

Qwen Coding · Reasoning · Agentic · Long Context Open Source

View Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) model profile

Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)

Browse Qwen models

Massive Qwen3.5 MoE — 397B total, 17B active. Near-GPT-4o quality at significantly reduced inference cost.

Parameters: 397B total (17B active)

Context: 128K tokens

Catalog pricing: Apache 2.0 — free

Qwen General Purpose Open Source

View Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) model profile

Feature Comparison — Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) vs Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)

Catalog specifications for Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)
Specification Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)
Provider Qwen Qwen
Parameters 235B total (22B active via MoE) 397B total (17B active)
Context window 128K tokens 128K tokens
Maximum output Not listed Not listed
Catalog pricing Open source — free to self-host. Third-party API ~$0.30-0.80/MTok Apache 2.0 — free
Listed input/output cost per 1M tokens Separate numeric input/output rates not listed input $0.8, output $1.5 per 1M tokens
License Apache 2.0 Apache 2.0
Coding support Listed Not listed
Reasoning support Listed Not listed
Vision input Not listed Not listed
Multimodal Not listed Not listed
Open weights Yes Yes
Benchmark: MMLU 93.5% 94.1%
Benchmark: LiveCodeBench 70.7% 73.5%
Benchmark: AIME 2025 85.7% 88.2%

Figures are transcribed from LITHOVEX model records. Benchmark versions and evaluation setups may differ; pricing and specifications can change. Check each provider's current documentation before making a decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is different between Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)?
Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE): 128K tokens; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE): 128K tokens. The listed context-window values are equal. Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) is listed for coding, reasoning, agentic workflows, long-context tasks; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) is listed for no specific capability flags. Shared catalog benchmark entries: MMLU: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 93.5%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 94.1%; LiveCodeBench: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 70.7%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 73.5%; AIME 2025: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 85.7%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 88.2%. These records are reference data, not a controlled head-to-head test; verify current pricing and specifications with each provider.
What benchmark values are listed for Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)?
MMLU: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 93.5%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 94.1%; LiveCodeBench: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 70.7%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 73.5%; AIME 2025: Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) 85.7%; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) 88.2%. The catalog values may use different versions and evaluation setups, so they are reference points rather than a controlled head-to-head result.
Which model has the larger listed context window?
Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE): 128K tokens; Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE): 128K tokens. The listed context-window values are equal.
What are the listed costs per million tokens for Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)?
Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE): Separate numeric input/output rates not listed (Open source — free to self-host. Third-party API ~$0.30-0.80/MTok). Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE): input $0.8, output $1.5 per 1M tokens (Apache 2.0 — free). Where separate numeric input and output rates are available, the worked example uses 1M input plus 1M output tokens. Confirm current terms with each provider.
How far apart are the listed release dates for Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)?
The catalog lists Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) as April 2025 and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE) as 2025; a release-date gap cannot be calculated from both records.
When was the comparison data last updated?
The model catalog records 2026-10-16 as its data update date. Provider specifications and prices may have changed since then.
How should I choose between Qwen3 235B-A22B (MoE) and Qwen3.5 397B-A17B (MoE)?
Compare the listed specifications and capabilities, review the benchmark notes, then test both with the same representative prompt for your task. This page does not claim a universal winner.

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