Jamba Large vs Qwen-MT Plus vs Step 1 (32K)
Jamba Large comes out ahead, 30 to 18 and 12 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
- Our pick
AI21 LabsJamba Large
30/100- ECI—
- Price$2.00 / $8.00
- Context256K
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen-MT Plus
12/100- ECI—
- Price$2.46 / $7.37
- Context16K
StepFunStep 1 (32K)
18/100- ECI—
- Price$2.05 / $9.59
- Context33K
Jamba Large is our pick
Jamba Large is the better all-round choice, scoring 30/100 against Step 1 (32K) (18) and Qwen-MT Plus (12). It leads on inputs & features and context window. 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 priceJamba LargeJamba Large $3.50 · Qwen-MT Plus $3.69 · Step 1 (32K) $3.94 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextJamba LargeJamba Large 256,000 · Step 1 (32K) 32,768 · Qwen-MT Plus 16,384 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsJamba Large: Text · Qwen-MT Plus: Text · Step 1 (32K): Text
- Self-hostingJamba LargePublishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Jamba Large | Qwen-MT Plus | Step 1 (32K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 0 | 25 |
| Context window | 20% | 36 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 100% | 30/100 | 12/100 | 18/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Jamba LargeAI21 Labs | Qwen-MT PlusAlibaba (Qwen) | Step 1 (32K)StepFun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $2.00 (best) | $2.46 | $2.05 |
| Output | $8.00 | $7.37 (best) | $9.59 |
| Cached input | — | — | $0.41 |
| Blended (3:1) | $3.50 (best) | $3.69 | $3.94 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official AI21 Labs API | Official Alibaba API | Official StepFun (Global) API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 256,000 tokens (best) | 16,384 tokens | 32,768 tokens |
| Max output | 4,096 tokens | 8,192 tokens | 32,768 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | No | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | jamba-large | qwen-mt-plus | step-1-32k |
| API providers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Released | Jul 1, 2025 | Jan 2025 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Aug 22, 2024 | Apr 2024 | Jun 2024 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Jamba Large$36.00
- Qwen-MT Plus$39.34
- Step 1 (32K)$39.68
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Jamba Large, Qwen-MT Plus or Step 1 (32K)?
Jamba Large is the better all-round choice, scoring 30/100 against Step 1 (32K) (18) and Qwen-MT Plus (12). It leads on inputs & features and context window. 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, Jamba Large, Qwen-MT Plus or Step 1 (32K)?
Jamba Large is cheaper at $2.00 input / $8.00 output per million tokens (official AI21 Labs API price). Qwen-MT Plus costs $2.46 input / $7.37 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price); Step 1 (32K) costs $2.05 input / $9.59 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $3.50 per million tokens for Jamba Large versus $3.69 for Qwen-MT Plus (1.1× as much) and $3.94 for Step 1 (32K) (1.1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Jamba Large has not been scored yet, Qwen-MT Plus has not been scored yet and Step 1 (32K) has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Jamba Large, Qwen-MT Plus and Step 1 (32K) yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Note that Qwen-MT Plus does not support tool calling, which most coding agents need.
Which has the bigger context window?
Jamba Large has the largest context window at 256,000 tokens, against 32,768 for Step 1 (32K) and 16,384 for Qwen-MT Plus. Maximum output per response: Jamba Large up to 4,096, Qwen-MT Plus up to 8,192, Step 1 (32K) up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Jamba Large accepts text; Qwen-MT Plus accepts text; Step 1 (32K) accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Jamba Large publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Qwen-MT Plus and Step 1 (32K) is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Jamba Large is the newest, released Jul 1, 2025. Qwen-MT Plus came out Jan 2025; Step 1 (32K) came out Jan 1, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Jamba Large Aug 22, 2024, Qwen-MT Plus Apr 2024, Step 1 (32K) Jun 2024.
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.
