budget
Gpt 4.1 Mini vs Qwen Plus
Side-by-side pricing, context window, features, and per-use-case verdict. Data sourced from LiteLLM, updated regularly.
Specifications
| Feature | Gpt 4.1 Mini | Qwen Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | openai | dashscope |
| Model ID | gpt-4.1-mini | dashscope/qwen-plus |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.40 | $0.40 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $1.60 | $1.20 (25% cheaper) |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.10 | — |
| Context window | 1048kk tokens | 129kk tokens |
| Max output | 33kk tokens | 16kk tokens |
| Vision | ✅ | ⬜ |
| Function calling | ✅ | ✅ |
| Prompt caching | ✅ | ⬜ |
| Web search | ✅ | ⬜ |
| JSON schema | ✅ | ⬜ |
Monthly cost comparison
No cache discount applied — pure token costs at three usage scales.
| Scale | Gpt 4.1 Mini | Qwen Plus | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small 1M in / 0.2M out | $0.72 | $0.64 | Qwen Plus saves 11% |
| Medium 10M in / 2M out | $7.20 | $6.40 | Qwen Plus saves 11% |
| Large 100M in / 20M out | $72.00 | $64.00 | Qwen Plus saves 11% |
Category winners
Cheapest input
Gpt 4.1 Mini
$0.40/M
Cheapest output
Qwen Plus
$1.20/M
· 25% less than the other
Larger context
Gpt 4.1 Mini
1048kk tokens · 712% larger window
More features
Gpt 4.1 Mini
5 / 5 capabilities
Better for…
High-volume RAG & repeated context
$0.10/M cached input — prompt caching makes repeated context retrieval significantly cheaper
Gpt 4.1 Mini
Short interactions & high-throughput APIs
$1.20/M output — 25% cheaper on output at scale
Qwen Plus
Long-document processing & large codebases
1048k context window vs 129k — 712% larger context
Gpt 4.1 Mini
Agentic workflows & tool use
Supports 5 of 5 tracked capabilities (vision, function calling, caching, web search, JSON schema)
Gpt 4.1 Mini
Deep-dive on each model
Pricing data sourced from LiteLLM and refreshed regularly. Always verify with each provider's official pricing page before making business decisions.