GPT-6 Astra vs Qwen3.8 Max Prime: cost per task
Qwen3.8 Max Prime is cheaper on 8 of 14 tasks and about 1.1x cheaper on average (geometric mean).
| Task | GPT-6 Astra | Qwen3.8 Max Prime | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer a chat question | 3.4¢ | 2.0¢ | 1.7x |
| Reply to a customer email | 0.89¢ | 0.95¢ | 1.1x |
| Write a 1,500-word blog post | 11¢ | 19¢ | 1.7x |
| Write 10 product descriptions | 6.2¢ | 19¢ | 3.1x |
| Translate 1,000 words | 8.0¢ | 2.1¢ | 3.8x |
| Proofread one page (500 words) | 4.0¢ | 2.5¢ | 1.6x |
| Summarize a 20-page PDF | 16¢ | 8.4¢ | 1.8x |
| Extract data from an invoice | 2.6¢ | 2.8¢ | 1.1x |
| Analyze a 200-row spreadsheet | 42¢ | 22¢ | 1.9x |
| Answer from 5 retrieved documents (RAG) | 5.9¢ | 5.0¢ | 1.2x |
| Classify 100 support tickets | 3.9¢ | 11¢ | 2.8x |
| Review 500 lines of code | 24¢ | 21¢ | 1.2x |
| Write a SQL query | 2.4¢ | 3.2¢ | 1.3x |
| Run a 50-step coding agent | $3.72 | $2.57 | 1.4x |
Specs and list prices
| GPT-6 Astra | Qwen3.8 Max Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Input per 1M | $10.00 | $4.00 |
| Output per 1M | $50.00 | $12.00 |
| Cached input per 1M | $1.00 | $0.50 |
| Context | 1.05M | 1M |
| Providers | 7 | 1 |
| Reasoning | always | always |
| LMArena Text | 1477 | - |
| Released | Sep 4, 2026 | Sep 23, 2026 |
FAQ
Is GPT-6 Astra or Qwen3.8 Max Prime cheaper?
Qwen3.8 Max Prime is cheaper on 8 of 14 tasks and about 1.1x cheaper on average (geometric mean).
How much does GPT-6 Astra cost compared to Qwen3.8 Max Prime per token?
GPT-6 Astra: $10.00 input and $50.00 output per 1M tokens. Qwen3.8 Max Prime: $4.00 input and $12.00 output. Token prices alone mislead - models use different numbers of tokens for the same task, which is what the task table shows.