Llama 3.1 405B vs Qwen 3 235B

Compare Llama 3.1 405B and Qwen 3 235B: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

All Meta models All Alibaba models What is an LLM API? Python Quickstart What is inference?
Feature Llama 3.1 405B Qwen 3 235B
CategoryOpen SourceOpen Source
Parameters405B235B (22B active)
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.06/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.10/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~350ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

  • ✓ Premium tasks
  • ✓ Research
  • ✓ Fine-tuning base
Key Strengths:

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose Qwen 3 235B when:

  • ✓ Pan-India multilingual
  • ✓ Regional chatbots
  • ✓ Translation
Key Strengths:

Exceptional Asian languages, Strong Hindi/Bengali/Tamil, MoE efficiency

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs Qwen 3 235B

For cost efficiency, Qwen 3 235B wins at $0.06/1M input tokens. For speed, Qwen 3 235B is faster at ~350ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while Qwen 3 235B is better for Pan-India multilingual. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Llama 3.1 405B costs $0.08/1M input tokens and $0.14/1M output tokens. Qwen 3 235B costs $0.06 input and $0.10 output. Qwen 3 235B is 1.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Llama 3.1 405B has a 128K context window with ~600ms latency. Qwen 3 235B offers 128K context at ~350ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. Qwen 3 235B (Open Source) works best for: Pan-India multilingual, Regional chatbots, Translation.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Llama 3.1 405B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-3-1-405b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Qwen 3 235B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="qwen-3-235b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or Qwen 3 235B?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. Qwen 3 235B (Open Source, 235B (22B active)) offers Exceptional Asian languages. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or Qwen 3 235B for Pan-India multilingual.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs Qwen 3 235B?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. Qwen 3 235B: $0.06/1M input, $0.10/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Llama 3.1 405B and Qwen 3 235B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.