ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Qwen3.8 Flash Next vs Kolibri 1

Qwen3.8 Flash Next comes out ahead, 65 to 60 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3.8 Flash Next

    Released Aug 27, 2026

    65/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.20 / $0.50
    • Context262K
  2. Aleph Alpha

    Kolibri 1

    Released Oct 3, 2026New

    60/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.164 / $0.574
    • Context1.05M
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Qwen3.8 Flash Next is our pick

Qwen3.8 Flash Next is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 against Kolibri 1 (60). It leads on inputs & features. Kolibri 1 wins on 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 priceKolibri 1Kolibri 1 $0.266 · Qwen3.8 Flash Next $0.275 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextKolibri 1Kolibri 1 1,048,576 · Qwen3.8 Flash Next 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsQwen3.8 Flash NextQwen3.8 Flash Next: Text, Images, Video · Kolibri 1: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightQwen3.8 Flash NextKolibri 1
Price50%7374
Inputs & features30%7035
Context window20%3761
Overall100%65/10060/100

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.

Qwen3.8 Flash Next vs Kolibri 1 specifications side by side
SpecificationQwen3.8 Flash NextAlibaba (Qwen)Kolibri 1Aleph Alpha
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.20$0.164 (best)
Output$0.50 (best)$0.574
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.275$0.266 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 4 providersMedian of 4 providers
Limits
Context window262,144 tokens1,048,576 tokens (best)
Max output131,072 tokens—
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenqwen-community-1.0OpenApache-2.0
API model ID——
API providers5 (best)4
ReleasedAug 27, 2026Oct 3, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—Jun 18, 2026
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.

  • Qwen3.8 Flash Next$3.00
  • Kolibri 1$2.78
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Qwen3.8 Flash Next or Kolibri 1?

Qwen3.8 Flash Next is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 against Kolibri 1 (60). It leads on inputs & features. Kolibri 1 wins on 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, Qwen3.8 Flash Next or Kolibri 1?

Kolibri 1 is cheaper at $0.164 input / $0.574 output per million tokens (median across 4 API providers). Qwen3.8 Flash Next costs $0.20 input / $0.50 output per million tokens (median across 4 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.266 per million tokens for Kolibri 1 versus $0.275 for Qwen3.8 Flash Next (1× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen3.8 Flash Next has not been scored yet and Kolibri 1 has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Qwen3.8 Flash Next and Kolibri 1 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?

Kolibri 1 has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 262,144 for Qwen3.8 Flash Next. Maximum output per response: Qwen3.8 Flash Next up to 131,072 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Qwen3.8 Flash Next accepts text, images and video; Kolibri 1 accepts text. 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 and Apache-2.0), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Kolibri 1 is the newest, released Oct 3, 2026. Qwen3.8 Flash Next came out Aug 27, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: Kolibri 1 Jun 18, 2026.

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 Nov 2, 2026.