AI model APIs · head-to-head
MiniMax M3 vs Qwen-Plus
Same usage, official rates, ranked by nothing but price. Both rate cards, the monthly bill at five workloads, and the exact usage mix where the answer flips.
The pricing verdict MiniMax M3 is cheaper than Qwen-Plus at every input:output mix — there is no usage pattern where Qwen-Plus costs less.
Rate cards
| Per 1M tokens | MiniMax M3 | Qwen-Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Input | $0.30 | $0.40 |
| Cached input | $0.06 | — |
| Output | $1.2 | $1.2 |
| Context window | — | — |
Monthly cost at five workloads
| Workload | Tokens / month | MiniMax M3 | Qwen-Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype | 1M in · 0.3M out | $0.66 | $0.76 |
| Small app | 10M in · 3M out | $6.60 | $7.60 |
| Production app | 50M in · 15M out | $33 | $38 |
| High volume | 200M in · 60M out | $132 | $152 |
| Heavy platform | 1B in · 300M out | $660 | $760 |
Standard on-demand rates from each provider's official pricing page, verified July 2026; figures exclude caching and batch discounts and any long-context surcharges. MiniMax M3: Rates shown are for prompts ≤512k tokens; above that, input and output double ($0.60/$2.40). Cache reads bill at $0.06 per 1M. Qwen-Plus: Rates shown are for prompts ≤256k tokens; from 256k to 1M, input is $1.20 and output $3.60 per 1M. Price is one input — quality, latency and context limits differ. Confirm live pricing before committing.