| Signal | Grok Code Fast 1 | Delta | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 83 | +17 | |
Pricing | 2 | +1 | |
Context window size | 86 | -9 | |
Recency | 95 | -2 | |
Output Capacity | 67 | -9 | |
| Overall Result | 2 wins | of 5 | 3 wins |
16
days ranked higher
5
days
9
days ranked higher
xAI
Alibaba
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) saves you $30.00/month
That's $360.00/year compared to Grok Code Fast 1 at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | Grok Code Fast 1 | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85 | 83 | Grok Code Fast 1 |
| Rank | #45 | #56 | Grok Code Fast 1 |
| Quality Rank | #45 | #56 | Grok Code Fast 1 |
| Adoption Rank | #45 | #56 | Grok Code Fast 1 |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 256K | 1000K | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
| Pricing | $0.20/$1.50/M | $0.26/$0.78/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 83 | 67 | Grok Code Fast 1 |
| Pricing | 2 | 1 | Grok Code Fast 1 |
| Context window size | 86 | 95 | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
| Recency | 95 | 97 | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
| Output Capacity | 67 | 75 | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
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 85/100 (rank #45), placing it in the top 85% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 83/100 (rank #56), placing it in the top 81% of all 290 models tracked.
With only a 2-point gap, these models are in the same performance tier. The practical difference in output quality is minimal - your choice should depend on pricing, latency requirements, and specific feature needs.
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) offers 39% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $15.60/month with Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) vs $25.50/month with Grok Code Fast 1 - a $9.90 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. Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) 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 ($0.78/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
Grok Code Fast 1 and Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) are extremely close in overall performance (only 2 points apart). Your best choice depends entirely on which specific strengths matter most for your use case.
Best for Quality
Grok Code Fast 1
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)
39% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
Grok Code Fast 1
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
Grok Code Fast 1
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
Grok Code Fast 1
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by xAI
| Capability | Grok Code Fast 1 | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Web Searchdiffers | ||
| Image Output |
xAI
Alibaba
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) saves you $0.7560/month
That's 35% cheaper than Grok Code Fast 1 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 Code Fast 1 | Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 256K | 1M |
| Max Output Tokens | 10,000 | 32,768 |
| Open Source | No | No |
| Created | Aug 26, 2025 | Sep 8, 2025 |
Grok Code Fast 1 scores 85/100 (rank #45) compared to Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)'s 83/100 (rank #56), giving it a 2-point advantage. Grok Code Fast 1 is the stronger overall choice, though Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) may excel in specific areas like cost efficiency.
Grok Code Fast 1 is ranked #45 and Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) is ranked #56 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.
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) is cheaper at $0.78/M output tokens vs Grok Code Fast 1's $1.50/M output tokens - 1.9x more expensive. Input token pricing: Grok Code Fast 1 at $0.20/M vs Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) at $0.26/M.
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) has a larger context window of 1,000,000 tokens compared to Grok Code Fast 1's 256,000 tokens. A larger context window means the model can process longer documents and conversations.