Qwen-MT Plus vs Palmyra X4 vs Step 1 (32K)
Palmyra X4 comes out ahead, 25 to 18 and 12 on our weighted score, though Qwen-MT Plus is 16% cheaper per token.
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen-MT Plus
12/100- ECI—
- Price$2.46 / $7.37
- Context16K
- Our pick
Writer
Palmyra X4
25/100- ECI—
- Price$2.50 / $10.00
- Context128K
StepFunStep 1 (32K)
18/100- ECI—
- Price$2.05 / $9.59
- Context33K
Palmyra X4 is our pick
Palmyra X4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 25/100 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 priceQwen-MT PlusQwen-MT Plus $3.69 · Step 1 (32K) $3.94 · Palmyra X4 $4.38 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextPalmyra X4Palmyra X4 128,000 · Step 1 (32K) 32,768 · Qwen-MT Plus 16,384 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsQwen-MT Plus: Text · Palmyra X4: Text · Step 1 (32K): Text
- Self-hostingNo open weightsAll three are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | Qwen-MT Plus | Palmyra X4 | Step 1 (32K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 23 | 19 | 22 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 0 | 35 | 25 |
| Context window | 20% | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Overall | 100% | 12/100 | 25/100 | 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 | Qwen-MT PlusAlibaba (Qwen) | Palmyra X4Writer | Step 1 (32K)StepFun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $2.46 | $2.50 | $2.05 (best) |
| Output | $7.37 (best) | $10.00 | $9.59 |
| Cached input | — | — | $0.41 |
| Blended (3:1) | $3.69 (best) | $4.38 | $3.94 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Alibaba API | Median of 1 providers | Official StepFun (Global) API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 16,384 tokens | 128,000 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Max output | 8,192 tokens | 4,096 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 | Yes | No |
| Tool calling | No | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | qwen-mt-plus | — | step-1-32k |
| API providers | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Released | Jan 2025 | Oct 9, 2024 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 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.
- Qwen-MT Plus$39.34
- Palmyra X4$45.00
- Step 1 (32K)$39.68
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Qwen-MT Plus, Palmyra X4 or Step 1 (32K)?
Palmyra X4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 25/100 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, Qwen-MT Plus, Palmyra X4 or Step 1 (32K)?
Qwen-MT Plus is cheaper at $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); 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 $3.69 per million tokens for Qwen-MT Plus versus $3.94 for Step 1 (32K) (1.1× as much) and $4.38 for Palmyra X4 (1.2× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Qwen-MT Plus has not been scored yet, Palmyra X4 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 Qwen-MT Plus, Palmyra X4 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?
Palmyra X4 has the largest context window at 128,000 tokens, against 32,768 for Step 1 (32K) and 16,384 for Qwen-MT Plus. Maximum output per response: Qwen-MT Plus up to 8,192, Palmyra X4 up to 4,096, Step 1 (32K) up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Qwen-MT Plus accepts text; Palmyra X4 accepts text; Step 1 (32K) accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
No. Qwen-MT Plus, Palmyra X4 and Step 1 (32K) are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Qwen-MT Plus is the newest, released Jan 2025. Step 1 (32K) came out Jan 1, 2025; Palmyra X4 came out Oct 9, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: 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.
