Gemini 3.6 Flash vs Qwen-Plus

Both are Mid-tier models, from Google and Alibaba Qwen respectively. Qwen-Plus is the cheaper choice overall at a 4:1 input:output ratio.

Which is cheaper

Input price: Qwen-Plus is cheaper ($0.40 vs $0.75).
Output price: Qwen-Plus is cheaper ($1.20 vs $3.75).
Blended, 4:1 input:output ratio: Qwen-Plus is 58.5% cheaper ($0.56 vs $1.35 per weighted 1M tokens).

Side by side

Spec	Gemini 3.6 Flash	Qwen-Plus
Provider	Google	Alibaba Qwen
Tier	Mid	Mid
Context window	1.05M	1M
Max output	66K	—
Input $/1M	$0.75	$0.40
Output $/1M	$3.75	$1.20
Cache read $/1M	$0.075	—
Modalities	text, image	text

Gemini 3.6 Flash. Standard tier. Introductory pricing through 31 December 2026, identical to 3.7 Flash; from 1 January 2027 the rate is $1.50 input / $7.50 output, cache read $0.15 per 1M.

Qwen-Plus. Tiered by context length: 0-256K shown ($0.4/$1.2 per 1M); 256K-1M tier is $1.2/$3.6 per 1M.

Sources

Gemini 3.6 Flash — verified August 29, 2026

Qwen-Plus — verified August 29, 2026

Full Gemini 3.6 Flash pricing page → · Full Qwen-Plus pricing page →