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Head-to-head comparison

Qwen3.8 Max vs Grok 4.6

Qwen3.8 Max (Qwen) and Grok 4.6 (xAI) 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, Qwen3.8 Max holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#5 vs #10); and Qwen3.8 Max offers the longer context window (1M vs 500K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #5 against #10 (80.5 vs 74.4 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 500K.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1529 against 1512.

Choose Grok 4.6 if…

  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 60.9 against 58.1.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Grok 4.6 was listed 12 August 2026, Qwen3.8 Max 3 August 2026.

Qwen3.8 Max vs Grok 4.6: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Qwen3.8 Max and Grok 4.6
FieldQwen3.8 MaxQwenGrok 4.6xAI
ModelCap Index position#5#10
Index score80.574.4
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$2.00$2.00
Output price / 1M tokens$6.00$6.00
Context window1M tokens500K tokens
Max output tokens131K—
API providers listed11
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText, Image, File
First listed3 August 202612 August 2026
PublisherQwenxAI

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards · 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Qwen3.8 Max vs Grok 4.6

Public benchmark boards where Qwen3.8 Max or Grok 4.6 has a published result
BoardQwen3.8 MaxGrok 4.6Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15291516–154215121485–1538HighQwen3.8 Max
LMArena AgentLMArena7.6%6.0%–9.2%—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—67.1%X-HighOnly one result
ARC-AGI-3ARC Prize Foundation—2.1%X-HighOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis58.1intelligence-index60.9intelligence-indexGrok 4.6

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.

Qwen3.8 Max vs Grok 4.6: common questions

Is Qwen3.8 Max better than Grok 4.6?

Qwen3.8 Max ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #5 against #10. 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 Qwen3.8 Max cheaper than Grok 4.6?

Both list the same output price, $6.00/1M tokens, with input at $2.00/1M and $2.00/1M respectively.

Which has the bigger context window, Qwen3.8 Max or Grok 4.6?

Qwen3.8 Max has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 500K.

Which is better for coding, Qwen3.8 Max or Grok 4.6?

Arena coding: Qwen3.8 Max 1529, Grok 4.6 1512 — Qwen3.8 Max leads.

Are Qwen3.8 Max and Grok 4.6 open-weight models?

Qwen3.8 Max: API only. Grok 4.6: API only. 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 Qwen3.8 Max and Grok 4.6?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Qwen3.8 Max and 1 for Grok 4.6, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Qwen3.8 Max vs Grok 4.6 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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