Head-to-head comparison

GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.8 Flash

GPT-5.5 (OpenAI) and Qwen3.8 Flash (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 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, GPT-5.5 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#9 vs #17); and Qwen3.8 Flash is 63.8× cheaper per output token ($0.47/1M vs $30.00/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-5.5 if…

you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #9 against #17 (77.9 vs 72.1 points).
you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 1.
AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 56.3 against 55.8.
AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 45.8% against 38.0%.

Choose Qwen3.8 Flash if…

API cost matters — $0.47/1M output tokens against $30.00/1M, about 63.8× cheaper.
your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.15/1M against $5.00/1M.
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 86.1% against 84.3%.
you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3.8 Flash was listed 26 August 2026, GPT-5.5 24 April 2026.

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

Specification comparison of GPT-5.5 and Qwen3.8 Flash
Field	GPT-5.5OpenAI	Qwen3.8 FlashQwen
ModelCap Index position	#9	#17
Index score	77.9	72.1
Evidence	Measured	Measured
Input price / 1M tokens	$5.00	$0.15
Output price / 1M tokens	$30.00	$0.47
Context window	1M tokens	1M tokens
Max output tokens	128K	131K
API providers listed	3	1
Weight access	API only	Restricted license
Input modalities	File, Image, Text	Text, Image, Video
First listed	24 April 2026	26 August 2026
Publisher	OpenAI	Qwen

Evidence: 7 public benchmark observations across 7 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 Flash

Public benchmark boards where GPT-5.5 or Qwen3.8 Flash has a published result
Board	GPT-5.5	Qwen3.8 Flash	Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)	15201514–1526High	—	Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena	7.9%6.8%–9.0%X-High	—	Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation	85.0%X-High	—	Only one result
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation	0.4%High	—	Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis	56.3intelligence-index	55.8intelligence-index	GPT-5.5
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis	84.3%terminal-bench-2.1	86.1%terminal-bench-2.1	Qwen3.8 Flash
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis	93.9%tau2-bench-telecom	—	Only one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis	45.8%humanitys-last-exam	38.0%humanitys-last-exam	GPT-5.5
WildClawBench OpenClawWildClawBench	58.2	—	Only one result

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 Flash: common questions

Is GPT-5.5 better than Qwen3.8 Flash?

GPT-5.5 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #9 against #17. 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 Flash?

Qwen3.8 Flash is cheaper on output tokens: $0.47/1M against $30.00/1M. Input tokens are $5.00/1M for GPT-5.5 and $0.15/1M for Qwen3.8 Flash. 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 Flash?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

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

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: GPT-5.5 84.3%, Qwen3.8 Flash 86.1% — Qwen3.8 Flash leads.

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

GPT-5.5: API only. Qwen3.8 Flash: Restricted license. 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 Flash?

ModelCap currently lists 3 API providers for GPT-5.5 and 1 for Qwen3.8 Flash, 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 Flash comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 September 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.