The two cheapest AI models go head-to-head. Qwen 3.7 Flash is 85% cheaper on input — but is it the right choice for your use case?
Last verified Aug 2026 · Prices per 1M tokens
| Feature | GPT-5.4 nano | Qwen 3.7 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba/Qwen |
| Tier | Budget | Budget |
| Input Price | $0.20 | $0.03 |
| Output Price | $1.25 | $0.13 |
| Context Window | 400K | 1M |
| Multimodal | Text + Vision | Text + Vision |
| Batch API | Yes (50% off) | Check provider |
| Verified | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 |
High-volume classification, moderation, or extraction where every fraction of a cent matters.
Apps using OpenAI SDKs, Assistants API, function calling, or tight OpenAI integration.
Summarization, analysis, or extraction over documents approaching 400K+ tokens.
Development, experimentation, and non-critical workloads where cost matters most.
APIpulse monitors 95 models across 11 providers. Get alerts when GPT-5.4 nano or Qwen 3.7 Flash prices change.
Free Tools →Yes. Qwen 3.7 Flash costs $0.03/M input and $0.13/M output. GPT-5.4 nano costs $0.20/M input and $1.25/M output. Qwen is 85% cheaper on input and 90% cheaper on output — making it the cheapest AI model available.
For a typical workload (1M input + 500K output tokens/month), Qwen 3.7 Flash costs $0.10/month vs $0.83/month for GPT-5.4 nano — saving $0.73/month (88%). At scale (100M tokens/month), savings reach $73/month.
Qwen 3.7 Flash has a 1M token context window, which is 2.5x larger than GPT-5.4 nano's 400K context. For long document processing or extensive conversation histories, Qwen offers significantly more room.
Choose GPT-5.4 nano when: (1) you need OpenAI ecosystem integration, (2) you rely on OpenAI-specific features (function calling, JSON mode, assistants), (3) your team already uses OpenAI SDKs. Choose Qwen 3.7 Flash when: cost is the primary concern, you need 1M context, or you're building high-volume APIs.