Qwen Max vs Palmyra X4
Palmyra X4 comes out ahead, 25 to 22 on our weighted score, though Qwen Max is 36% cheaper per token.
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen Max
22/100- ECI—
- Price$1.60 / $6.40
- Context33K
- Our pick
Writer
Palmyra X4
25/100- ECI—
- Price$2.50 / $10.00
- Context128K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Palmyra X4 is our pick
Palmyra X4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 25/100 against Qwen Max (22). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Qwen Max 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 priceQwen MaxQwen Max $2.80 · Palmyra X4 $4.38 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextPalmyra X4Palmyra X4 128,000 · Qwen Max 32,768 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsQwen Max: Text · Palmyra X4: Text
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Qwen Max | Palmyra X4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 29 | 19 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 25 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 0 | 24 |
| Overall | 100% | 22/100 | 25/100 |
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 | Qwen MaxAlibaba (Qwen) | Palmyra X4Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.60 (best) | $2.50 |
| Output | $6.40 (best) | $10.00 |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $2.80 (best) | $4.38 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Alibaba API | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 32,768 tokens | 128,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 8,192 tokens (best) | 4,096 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | qwen-max | — |
| API providers | 6 (best) | 1 |
| Released | Apr 3, 2024 | Oct 9, 2024 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Apr 2024 | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Qwen Max$28.80
- Palmyra X4$45.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Qwen Max or Palmyra X4?
Palmyra X4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 25/100 against Qwen Max (22). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Qwen Max 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, Qwen Max or Palmyra X4?
Qwen Max is cheaper at $1.60 input / $6.40 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). Palmyra X4 costs $2.50 input / $10.00 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $2.80 per million tokens for Qwen Max versus $4.38 for Palmyra X4 (1.6× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen Max has not been scored yet and Palmyra X4 has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Qwen Max and Palmyra X4 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?
Palmyra X4 has the largest context window at 128,000 tokens, against 32,768 for Qwen Max. Maximum output per response: Qwen Max up to 8,192, Palmyra X4 up to 4,096 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Qwen Max accepts text; Palmyra X4 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
No. Qwen Max and Palmyra X4 are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Palmyra X4 is the newest, released Oct 9, 2024. Qwen Max came out Apr 3, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Qwen Max Apr 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.
