| Signal | Grok 3 Mini | Delta | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 83 | -- | |
Benchmarks | 77 | +77 | |
Pricing | 1 | -1 | |
Context window size | 81 | -14 | |
Recency | 81 | -19 | |
Output Capacity | 20 | -60 | |
| Overall Result | 1 wins | of 6 | 4 wins |
0
days ranked higher
0
days
30
days ranked higher
xAI
Alibaba
Grok 3 Mini saves you $49.00/month
That's $588.00/year compared to Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | Grok 3 Mini | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76 | 85 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Rank | #103 | #30 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Quality Rank | #103 | #30 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Adoption Rank | #103 | #30 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 131K | 1000K | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Pricing | $0.30/$0.50/M | $0.26/$1.56/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 83 | 83 | Grok 3 Mini |
| Benchmarks | 77 | -- | Grok 3 Mini |
| Pricing | 1 | 2 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Context window size | 81 | 95 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Recency | 81 | 100 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
| Output Capacity | 20 | 80 | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
Our composite score (0–100) combines six weighted signals: benchmark performance (25%), pricing efficiency (25%), context window size (15%), model recency (15%), output capacity (10%), and capability versatility (10%). Here's what the scores mean for these two models:
Scores 76/100 (rank #103), placing it in the top 65% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 85/100 (rank #30), placing it in the top 90% of all 290 models tracked.
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 has a 9-point advantage, which typically translates to noticeably better performance on complex reasoning, code generation, and multi-step tasks.
Grok 3 Mini offers 56% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $12.00/month with Grok 3 Mini vs $27.30/month with Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 - a $15.30 monthly difference.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Higher benchmark score (0/100) indicates stronger performance on coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Faster response time (speed score 0/100) is critical for user-facing chat. Grok 3 Mini also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (1000K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($0.50/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (85/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
Image understanding & OCR
Supports vision input - can analyze screenshots, diagrams, photos, and scanned documents directly
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 has a moderate advantage with a 8.799999999999997-point lead in composite score. It wins on more signal dimensions, but Grok 3 Mini has specific strengths that could make it the better choice for certain workflows.
Best for Quality
Grok 3 Mini
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
Grok 3 Mini
56% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
Grok 3 Mini
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
Grok 3 Mini
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
Grok 3 Mini
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by xAI
| Capability | Grok 3 Mini | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input)differs | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Web Searchdiffers | ||
| Image Output |
xAI
Alibaba
Grok 3 Mini saves you $1.20/month
That's 51% cheaper than Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | Grok 3 Mini | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 131K | 1M |
| Max Output Tokens | -- | 65,536 |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Created | Jun 10, 2025 | Feb 16, 2026 |
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 scores 85/100 (rank #30) compared to Grok 3 Mini's 76/100 (rank #103), giving it a 9-point advantage. Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 is the stronger overall choice, though Grok 3 Mini may excel in specific areas like cost efficiency.
Grok 3 Mini is ranked #103 and Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 is ranked #30 out of 290+ AI models. Rankings use a composite score combining benchmark performance (25%), pricing (25%), context window (15%), recency (15%), output capacity (10%), and versatility (10%). Scores update hourly.
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper at $0.50/M output tokens vs Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15's $1.56/M output tokens - 3.1x more expensive. Input token pricing: Grok 3 Mini at $0.30/M vs Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 at $0.26/M.
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-02-15 has a larger context window of 1,000,000 tokens compared to Grok 3 Mini's 131,072 tokens. A larger context window means the model can process longer documents and conversations.