multimodal model comparison
MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash
MiniMax M3.1 Flash and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash are both current multimodal models, from MiniMax and Alibaba Qwen. Both cost $0.15 per 1M input tokens. Both accept 1,000,000 tokens of context.
Data verified October 23, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-23
Side by side
MiniMax M3.1 Flash and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash, line by line
Prices in effect today, compared at the same tier wherever both list one. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price per 1M input tokens | $0.15 | $0.15 |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $0.60 | $0.47 (better) |
| Specs | ||
| Provider | MiniMax | Alibaba Qwen |
| Release date | October 19, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Access | API and open weights | API only |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max output | Not reported | 131,072 tokens |
| Input | text, image, video | text, image, audio, video |
| Output | text | text |
Charts
Against every current multimodal model
Where MiniMax M3.1 Flash and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash land among the current models of their task, on every independent benchmark, on price and on context.
Where each stands
No independent benchmark has scored either model yet, so the tiles rank their prices among the current models of their task.
Price and context
Price per 1M input tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash:#5of 45
$0.15 · cheaper than 86%
Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash:#5of 45
$0.15 · cheaper than 86%
Price per 1M output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash:#7of 45
$0.60 · cheaper than 86%
Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash:#3of 45
$0.47 · cheaper than 95%
Cost
What each costs
Example workloads at each provider's listed rates, then every other rate either one lists. The cheaper figure in each row is highlighted.
The same work, priced
For 10M input and 2M output tokens, MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs 1.1 times as much as Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash, at each provider's listed rates.
10M input and 2M output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs 1.1× as much
- MiniMax M3.1 Flash
- $2.70
- Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash
- $2.44
The same, with 9M of the input tokens cached
MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs 1.2× as much
- MiniMax M3.1 Flash
- $1.49
- Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash
- $1.23
| Workload or rate | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Example workloads | ||
| 10M input and 2M output tokens | $2.70 | $2.44 (better) |
| The same, with 9M of the input tokens cached | $1.49 | $1.23 (better) |
| Other listed rates | ||
| 1M input tokens, cached | $0.015 (better) | $0.016 |
Verdict
When to choose each
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Where it leads
- Open weights you can run yourself
- Cheaper cached input, $0.015 vs $0.016 per 1M tokens
Best for
- Low-cost coding and agent loops
- Long-context multimodal work on a budget
Watch out for
- Thinking cannot be turned off; effort runs from low to max, and max is the default
- MiniMax gives two parameter counts (about 428B in the model card, 220B in the file metadata), and no independent benchmark score is recorded here yet
Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash
Where it leads
- Lower price per 1M output tokens, $0.47 vs $0.60
- Accepts audio input
Best for
- Long audio and video understanding at low cost
- Agent pipelines that must reason over meetings, calls or recorded media
Watch out for
- Output is text only; for spoken replies Alibaba lists a separate realtime variant
- Alibaba's comparisons with Gemini 3.8 Flash are self-reported and have not been reproduced independently here
- The release date is the Alibaba Cloud announcement date, 2026-09-20
From benchmark to production
Building on MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash?
Public scores rarely hold on your own data. We test both models on your real tasks, then build the agent or pipeline around the one that wins.
FAQ
MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash FAQ
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash?
Both cost $0.15 per 1M input tokens. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs $2.70 and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash $2.44 at standard rates.
Which is cheaper with prompt caching, MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash charges $0.015 per 1M cached input tokens, 90% below its standard input rate, and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash $0.016, 89% below. With 9M of 10M input tokens cached and 2M output tokens, MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs $1.49 and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash $1.23.
Which has the larger context window, MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash?
Both accept 1,000,000 tokens of context.
How do MiniMax M3.1 Flash and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash differ in features?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash takes text, image and video input; Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash takes text, image, audio and video.
Can I run MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash myself?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash is released as open weights you can run yourself; Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash is available through its provider's API only.
Further reading
More on MiniMax M3.1 Flash and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash
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- Mercury 2.5 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
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- Mercury 3 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
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Production evaluation
Choosing between MiniMax M3.1 Flash and Qwen3.8-Omni-Flash?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty