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Head-to-head comparison

GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 27B

GPT-5.5 (OpenAI) and Qwen3.8 27B (Qwen) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, GPT-5.5 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#8 vs #16); Qwen3.8 27B is 9.4× cheaper per output token ($3.20/1M vs $30.00/1M); GPT-5.5 offers the longer context window (1M vs 262K tokens); and Qwen3.8 27B ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-5.5 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #8 against #16 (76.9 vs 69.6 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 262K.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 56.3 against 52.0.

Choose Qwen3.8 27B if…

  • API cost matters — $3.20/1M output tokens against $30.00/1M, about 9.4× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.45/1M against $5.00/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Qwen3.8 27B ships open weights while GPT-5.5 is api only.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3.8 27B was listed 14 August 2026, GPT-5.5 24 April 2026.

GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 27B: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of GPT-5.5 and Qwen3.8 27B
FieldGPT-5.5OpenAIQwen3.8 27BQwen
ModelCap Index position#8#16
Index score76.969.6
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$5.00$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$30.00$3.20
Context window1M tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens128K131K
API providers listed33
Weight accessAPI onlyOpen weights
Input modalitiesFile, Image, TextText, Image, Video
First listed24 April 202614 August 2026
PublisherOpenAIQwen

Evidence: 6 public benchmark observations across 6 boards · 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 27B

Public benchmark boards where GPT-5.5 or Qwen3.8 27B has a published result
BoardGPT-5.5Qwen3.8 27BLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15201513–1526High—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena8.9%7.9%–9.9%X-High—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation85.0%X-High—Only one result
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation0.4%High—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis56.3intelligence-index52.0intelligence-indexGPT-5.5

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 27B: common questions

Is GPT-5.5 better than Qwen3.8 27B?

GPT-5.5 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #8 against #16. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is GPT-5.5 cheaper than Qwen3.8 27B?

Qwen3.8 27B is cheaper on output tokens: $3.20/1M against $30.00/1M. Input tokens are $5.00/1M for GPT-5.5 and $0.45/1M for Qwen3.8 27B. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, GPT-5.5 or Qwen3.8 27B?

GPT-5.5 has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 262K.

Which is better for coding, GPT-5.5 or Qwen3.8 27B?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are GPT-5.5 and Qwen3.8 27B open-weight models?

GPT-5.5: API only. Qwen3.8 27B: Open weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run GPT-5.5 and Qwen3.8 27B?

ModelCap currently lists 3 API providers for GPT-5.5 and 3 for Qwen3.8 27B, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 27B comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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