Qwen3.8 Max
No extra published tiers, cache components, Batch rates, or time-based rates are listed.
Qwen3.8 Max vs Kimi K3 API Pricing
Compare verified published API prices for Qwen3.8 Max and Kimi K3. This page compares price, not output quality.
Verified Oct 28, 2026, Qwen3.8 Max lists input at $2.00 and output at $6.00 per 1M tokens, while Kimi K3 lists $3.00 input and $15.00 output. Qwen3.8 Max is 33.3% cheaper on input. Qwen3.8 Max is 60% cheaper on output. This is a comparison of published prices only, not output quality.
| Model | Input $/1M | Cached input $/1M | Output $/1M | Source | Last verified How we verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen3.8 Max | $2.00 | $0.25 | $6.00 | Official source | Oct 28, 2026 |
| Kimi K3 | $3.00 | $0.30 | $15.00 | Official source | Oct 25, 2026 |
Prices from official provider pages, verified on the date shown.
Published rates
Side-by-side API pricing
| Field | Qwen3.8 Max | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba | Moonshot AI |
| Input / 1M | $2.00 | $3.00 |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.25 | $0.30 |
| Output / 1M | $6.00 | $15.00 |
| Context window | 1M | 1,048,576 |
| Release date | Not listed | Jul 16, 2026 |
| Official source How we verify | Alibaba pricing ↗ | Moonshot AI pricing ↗ |
Standard token prices
Which is cheaper depends on your input:output ratio
Costs below allocate 1M total tokens across each input:output ratio. They use standard prices only, without cache or Batch discounts.
| Input:output ratio | Qwen3.8 Max | Kimi K3 | Cheaper published price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:1 (RAG / long context) | $2.36 | $4.09 | Qwen3.8 Max by 42.2% |
| 3:1 (chat) | $3.00 | $6.00 | Qwen3.8 Max by 50% |
| 1:1 | $4.00 | $9.00 | Qwen3.8 Max by 55.6% |
| 1:3 (long generation) | $5.00 | $12.00 | Qwen3.8 Max by 58.3% |
Computed examples
Monthly cost for real workloads
| Workload | Assumed volume | Qwen3.8 Max | Kimi K3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side project | 10,000 requests/month | $34.00 | $69.00 | Qwen3.8 Max by $35.00 (50.7%) |
| Customer support chatbot | 10,000 conversations/month | $308.10 | $526.95 | Qwen3.8 Max by $218.85 (41.5%) |
| Agent task | 1,000 tasks/month | $43.20 | $84.00 | Qwen3.8 Max by $40.80 (48.6%) |
Assumptions
- Side project: 10,000 requests per month, with 800 input and 300 output tokens per request.
- Customer support chatbot: 10,000 conversations, with 6 replies per conversation, 600 system tokens, 90 user-message tokens, 1,000 retrieved-context tokens, 180 output tokens per reply, and 50% history carry.
- Agent task: 1,000 tasks, with 8 calls per task and 1,500 input plus 400 output tokens per call.
- All three rows use standard non-cached, non-batch prices and exclude retries, tools, storage, and taxes.
Provider conditions
Pricing rules that can change the answer
Kimi K3
Official pricing notes: Automatic prefix caching uses the cache-hit rate for eligible repeated prefixes of more than 256 tokens. K3 reasoning is always enabled; reasoning tokens are billed as output tokens. No current K3 Batch price is published in the canonical contract.
Verified changes
Price history
First observed on Oct 28, 2026; Alibaba Qwen did not publish an effective date. Alibaba Qwen added Qwen3.8 Max with published input $2.00 and output $6.00 per 1M tokens.
View this update in the price monitor
Operational costs
Cheaper per token is not always cheaper per task
Retries, failed calls, fallback requests, and longer outputs can raise the cost of completing a task even when the published token price is lower. Model the effect with the LLM Retry & Fallback Cost Calculator, read the cost-per-successful-task guide, or estimate a migration with the Model Switch Cost Calculator.
Primary evidence and next steps
Related
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is Qwen3.8 Max cheaper than Kimi K3?
Qwen3.8 Max is 33.3% cheaper on input. Qwen3.8 Max is 60% cheaper on output. This compares published list prices, not output quality.
How much do Qwen3.8 Max and Kimi K3 cost for 10,000 requests a month?
At 800 input and 300 output tokens per request, Qwen3.8 Max costs about $34.00 and Kimi K3 costs about $69.00 at standard list prices.
Which is cheaper for input-heavy workloads like RAG?
At a 10:1 input-to-output token ratio, Qwen3.8 Max costs $2.36 and Kimi K3 costs $4.09 per 1M total tokens. Qwen3.8 Max by 42.2%.
Where do these prices come from?
The prices come from Alibaba and Moonshot AI official pricing sources, verified on Oct 28, 2026 and Oct 25, 2026, respectively.
See the pricing verification methodology and AI API pricing dataset.