Alibaba's 2.4T-parameter MoE flagship and OpenAI's top model are separated by a large margin on every rate. Qwen also keeps one price across its whole window, while Astra steps up past 272K tokens.
Qwen3.8-Max is 5× cheaper on input and about 8× cheaper on output than GPT-6 Astra, with a cache hit at $0.17 vs $1.00. Alibaba prices qwen3.8-max as a single tier up to 1M input tokens; Astra charges more above 272K. The premium for Astra has to come from quality, tooling or compliance needs.
| Qwen3.8-Max | GPT-6 Astra | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba | OpenAI |
| Tier | Flagship | Flagship |
| Input / 1M tokens | $2.00 | $10.00 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $6.00 | $50.00 |
| Cache hit / 1M | $0.17 | $1.00 |
| Cache write / 1M | — | $12.50 |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Notes | New Alibaba flagship (Aug 3, 2026); 2.4T MoE | New top flagship (Sep 3, 2026); rolling out to Plus/Pro/Business/Enterprise; >272K tokens: $20/$75, cache $2 |
Qwen3.8-Max is 5.0× cheaper on input tokens ($2.00 vs $10.00 per 1M). Qwen3.8-Max is 8.3× cheaper on output tokens ($6.00 vs $50.00 per 1M).
| Workload | Qwen3.8-Max | GPT-6 Astra | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support chatbot 10,000 conversations × (2,000 input + 400 output tokens) | $64.00 | $400 | Qwen3.8-Max saves $336 |
| Document Q&A 1,000 questions × (30,000 input + 800 output tokens) | $64.80 | $340 | Qwen3.8-Max saves $275 |
| Coding agent session 4M input tokens (90% cache hits) + 150,000 output tokens | $2.31 | $15.10 | Qwen3.8-Max saves $12.79 |
Standard rates per 1M tokens from data on this site. The coding-agent row assumes 90% of input is read from the prompt cache (full input price where a model has no cache rate). Cache-write fees, batch discounts and long-context surcharges listed in the notes are not included. Updated November 2, 2026.
cost per token drives the decision, you send long prompts, or you serve Asia-Pacific users through Alibaba Cloud's regions.
you are committed to OpenAI's platform and tooling, need OpenAI's data and compliance terms, or your evals show Astra is worth the premium on your tasks.
Alibaba's Model Studio page lists qwen3.8-max with one price band covering 0–1M input tokens, and says all tokens in a request are billed at that band's rate. Thinking and non-thinking modes cost the same per token (thinking just produces more output). Astra's band above 272K is 2× input and 1.5× output, so long-document jobs widen the gap.
Qwen's cache-hit rate of $0.17 is under a tenth of its input price; Alibaba notes that its listed input prices exclude cache pricing and points to its Context Cache documentation for cache rates. Astra charges $1.00 per cached read plus $12.50 to write a 30-minute cache.
Alibaba lists a 1M-token free quota for qwen3.8-max in its Singapore (international) region, enough for an initial eval run. OpenAI has no free tier for Astra; its Batch and Flex tiers halve the price for latency-tolerant jobs.
Yes: $2.00 vs $10.00 input and $6.00 vs $50.00 output per 1M tokens.
Alibaba lists a single price tier for qwen3.8-max up to 1M input tokens. GPT-6 Astra charges a higher rate above 272K tokens.
Not per token — Alibaba lists the same price for thinking and non-thinking modes. Thinking typically generates more output tokens, so a request can still cost more.
How we choose: prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are re-checked every week. We take no affiliate fees, so rankings aren't for sale.