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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GPT-5.3 Codex vs Qwen3.6 Max Preview

GPT-5.3 Codex comes out ahead, 64 to 54 on our weighted score, though Qwen3.6 Max Preview is 39% cheaper per token.

  1. Our pick

    OpenAI

    GPT-5.3 Codex

    Released Feb 5, 2026

    64/100
    • ECI156.8
    • Price$1.75 / $14.00
    • Context400K
    Full specs Remove GPT-5.3 Codex

  2. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3.6 Max Preview

    Released Apr 20, 2026

    54/100
    • ECI149.2
    • Price$1.30 / $7.80
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Qwen3.6 Max Preview

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GPT-5.3 Codex is our pick

GPT-5.3 Codex is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against Qwen3.6 Max Preview (54). It leads on capability, inputs & features and context window. Qwen3.6 Max Preview wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

  • CapabilityGPT-5.3 CodexCapabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5.3 Codex 156.8 · Qwen3.6 Max Preview 149.2
  • Lowest priceQwen3.6 Max PreviewQwen3.6 Max Preview $2.92 · GPT-5.3 Codex $4.81 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGPT-5.3 CodexGPT-5.3 Codex 400,000 · Qwen3.6 Max Preview 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsGPT-5.3 CodexGPT-5.3 Codex: Text, Images, PDFs · Qwen3.6 Max Preview: Text
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGPT-5.3 CodexQwen3.6 Max Preview
CapabilityCapabilities Index (ECI)50%8777
Price25%1828
Inputs & features15%8035
Context window10%4437
Overall100%64/10054/100
02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

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

GPT-5.3 Codex vs Qwen3.6 Max Preview specifications side by side
SpecificationGPT-5.3 CodexOpenAIQwen3.6 Max PreviewAlibaba (Qwen)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)156.8 (best)149.2
ECI rank#18 of 148 (best)#54 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—87.4%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—91.1%
SWE-bench VerifiedFixing real GitHub issues74.8%76.7% (best)
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions—52.0%
Price per million tokens
Input$1.75$1.30 (best)
Output$14.00$7.80 (best)
Cached input$0.175$0.13 (best)
Blended (3:1)$4.81$2.92 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial OpenAI APIOfficial Alibaba API
Limits
Context window400,000 tokens (best)262,144 tokens
Max output128,000 tokens (best)65,536 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsYesNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · high · xhighYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDgpt-5.3-codexqwen3.6-max-preview
API providers19 (best)10
ReleasedFeb 5, 2026Apr 20, 2026
Knowledge cutoffAug 31, 2025Apr 2025
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.

  • GPT-5.3 Codex$45.50
  • Qwen3.6 Max Preview$28.60
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GPT-5.3 Codex or Qwen3.6 Max Preview?

GPT-5.3 Codex is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against Qwen3.6 Max Preview (54). It leads on capability, inputs & features and context window. Qwen3.6 Max Preview wins on price. The score weighs capability 50%, price 25%, inputs & features 15%, context window 10%.

Which is cheaper, GPT-5.3 Codex or Qwen3.6 Max Preview?

Qwen3.6 Max Preview is cheaper at $1.30 input / $7.80 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). GPT-5.3 Codex costs $1.75 input / $14.00 output per million tokens (official OpenAI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $2.92 per million tokens for Qwen3.6 Max Preview versus $4.81 for GPT-5.3 Codex (1.6× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

GPT-5.3 Codex scores higher on the Capabilities Index (ECI): GPT-5.3 Codex 156.8 (#18 of 148) and Qwen3.6 Max Preview 149.2 (#54 of 148). Their confidence ranges do not overlap (153.5–160.8 vs 147.6–152.0), so the gap is a real one. On individual benchmarks: SWE-bench Verified — Qwen3.6 Max Preview 76.7%, GPT-5.3 Codex 74.8%.

Which is better for coding?

Qwen3.6 Max Preview resolves more real GitHub issues on SWE-bench Verified: Qwen3.6 Max Preview 76.7% and GPT-5.3 Codex 74.8%. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

GPT-5.3 Codex has the largest context window at 400,000 tokens, against 262,144 for Qwen3.6 Max Preview. Maximum output per response: GPT-5.3 Codex up to 128,000, Qwen3.6 Max Preview up to 65,536 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GPT-5.3 Codex accepts text, images and PDFs; Qwen3.6 Max Preview accepts text. GPT-5.3 Codex handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. GPT-5.3 Codex and Qwen3.6 Max Preview are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Qwen3.6 Max Preview is the newest, released Apr 20, 2026. GPT-5.3 Codex came out Feb 5, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-5.3 Codex Aug 31, 2025, Qwen3.6 Max Preview Apr 2025.

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 Oct 4, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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