ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Aion-3.0 vs Qwen 3.8 Max Prime

Qwen 3.8 Max Prime comes out ahead, 39 to 26 on our weighted score, though Aion-3.0 is 38% cheaper per token.

  1. Aion Labs

    Aion-3.0

    Released May 5, 2026

    26/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$3.00 / $6.00
    • Context131K
  2. Our pick

    Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen 3.8 Max Prime

    Released Sep 23, 2026New

    39/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$4.00 / $12.00
    • Context1M
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Qwen 3.8 Max Prime is our pick

Qwen 3.8 Max Prime is the better all-round choice, scoring 39/100 against Aion-3.0 (26). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Aion-3.0 wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceAion-3.0Aion-3.0 $3.75 · Qwen 3.8 Max Prime $6.00 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextQwen 3.8 Max PrimeQwen 3.8 Max Prime 1,000,000 · Aion-3.0 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsQwen 3.8 Max PrimeAion-3.0: Text · Qwen 3.8 Max Prime: Text, Images, Video
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightAion-3.0Qwen 3.8 Max Prime
Price50%2212
Inputs & features30%3570
Context window20%2560
Overall100%26/10039/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Aion-3.0 vs Qwen 3.8 Max Prime specifications side by side
SpecificationAion-3.0Aion LabsQwen 3.8 Max PrimeAlibaba (Qwen)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$3.00 (best)$4.00
Output$6.00 (best)$12.00
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$3.75 (best)$6.00
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 4 providersMedian of 5 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens1,000,000 tokens (best)
Max output32,768 tokens131,072 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoYes
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model ID——
API providers45 (best)
ReleasedMay 5, 2026Sep 23, 2026
Knowledge cutoff——
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Aion-3.0$42.00
  • Qwen 3.8 Max Prime$64.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Aion-3.0 or Qwen 3.8 Max Prime?

Qwen 3.8 Max Prime is the better all-round choice, scoring 39/100 against Aion-3.0 (26). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Aion-3.0 wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Aion-3.0 or Qwen 3.8 Max Prime?

Aion-3.0 is cheaper at $3.00 input / $6.00 output per million tokens (median across 4 API providers). Qwen 3.8 Max Prime costs $4.00 input / $12.00 output per million tokens (median across 5 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $3.75 per million tokens for Aion-3.0 versus $6.00 for Qwen 3.8 Max Prime (1.6× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Aion-3.0 has not been scored yet and Qwen 3.8 Max Prime has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Aion-3.0 and Qwen 3.8 Max Prime yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Qwen 3.8 Max Prime has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 131,072 for Aion-3.0. Maximum output per response: Aion-3.0 up to 32,768, Qwen 3.8 Max Prime up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Aion-3.0 accepts text; Qwen 3.8 Max Prime accepts text, images and video. Qwen 3.8 Max Prime handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. Aion-3.0 and Qwen 3.8 Max Prime are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Qwen 3.8 Max Prime is the newest, released Sep 23, 2026. Aion-3.0 came out May 5, 2026.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.