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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

North Mini Code vs Qwen3.8 Flash Next

Too close to call on our weighted score (North Mini Code 71, Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70). The right pick depends on what you value most.

  1. Cohere

    North Mini Code

    Released Jun 9, 2026

    71/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context256K
  2. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3.8 Flash Next

    Released Aug 27, 2026

    70/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.20 / $0.50
    • Context262K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Too close to call

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 1 points (North Mini Code 71/100, Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: North Mini Code on price and Qwen3.8 Flash Next for long inputs. 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 priceNorth Mini CodeNorth Mini Code Free · Qwen3.8 Flash Next $0.275 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextQwen3.8 Flash NextQwen3.8 Flash Next 262,144 · North Mini Code 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsQwen3.8 Flash NextNorth Mini Code: Text · Qwen3.8 Flash Next: Text, Images, Video
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightNorth Mini CodeQwen3.8 Flash Next
Price50%10076
Inputs & features30%4580
Context window20%3637
Overall100%71/10070/100

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.

North Mini Code vs Qwen3.8 Flash Next specifications side by side
SpecificationNorth Mini CodeCohereQwen3.8 Flash NextAlibaba (Qwen)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
InputFree (best)$0.20
OutputFree (best)$0.50
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)Free (best)$0.275
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Cohere APIMedian of 5 providers
Limits
Context window256,000 tokens262,144 tokens (best)
Max output64,000 tokens131,072 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoYes
ReasoningYeshighYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsOpenOpenqwen-community-1.0
API model IDnorth-mini-code-1-0—
API providers25 (best)
ReleasedJun 9, 2026Aug 27, 2026
Knowledge cutoffSep 23, 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.

  • North Mini CodeFree
  • Qwen3.8 Flash Next$3.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: North Mini Code or Qwen3.8 Flash Next?

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 1 points (North Mini Code 71/100, Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: North Mini Code on price and Qwen3.8 Flash Next for long inputs. 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, North Mini Code or Qwen3.8 Flash Next?

North Mini Code is cheaper at Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Cohere API price). Qwen3.8 Flash Next costs $0.20 input / $0.50 output per million tokens (median across 5 API providers). North Mini Code is listed as free.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. North Mini Code has not been scored yet and Qwen3.8 Flash Next has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for North Mini Code and Qwen3.8 Flash Next 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?

Qwen3.8 Flash Next has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 256,000 for North Mini Code. Maximum output per response: North Mini Code up to 64,000, Qwen3.8 Flash Next up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

North Mini Code accepts text; Qwen3.8 Flash Next accepts text, images and video. Qwen3.8 Flash Next handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights (qwen-community-1.0), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Qwen3.8 Flash Next is the newest, released Aug 27, 2026. North Mini Code came out Jun 9, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: North Mini Code Sep 23, 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.