Qwen 3 235B vs Gemma 3 1B

Compare Qwen 3 235B and Gemma 3 1B: 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 Alibaba models All Google models What is an LLM API? Python Quickstart What is inference?
Feature Qwen 3 235B Gemma 3 1B
CategoryOpen SourceCompact
Parameters235B (22B active)1B
Context Window128K32K
Input Price$0.06/1M tokens$0.003/1M tokens
Output Price$0.10/1M tokens$0.006/1M tokens
Latency~350ms~20ms

Choose Qwen 3 235B when:

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

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

Choose Gemma 3 1B when:

  • ✓ Edge inference
  • ✓ Classification
  • ✓ Routing
Key Strengths:

Tiny footprint, Fastest inference, Edge-ready

Verdict: Qwen 3 235B vs Gemma 3 1B

For cost efficiency, Gemma 3 1B wins at $0.003/1M input tokens. For speed, Gemma 3 1B is faster at ~20ms. Qwen 3 235B excels at Pan-India multilingual while Gemma 3 1B is better for Edge inference. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Qwen 3 235B costs $0.06/1M input tokens and $0.10/1M output tokens. Gemma 3 1B costs $0.003 input and $0.006 output. Gemma 3 1B is 20.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Qwen 3 235B has a 128K context window with ~350ms latency. Gemma 3 1B offers 32K context at ~20ms. Qwen 3 235B has the larger context window.

Best For

Qwen 3 235B (Open Source) is optimized for: Pan-India multilingual, Regional chatbots, Translation. Gemma 3 1B (Compact) works best for: Edge inference, Classification, Routing.

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

# Use Gemma 3 1B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gemma-3-1b",
    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, Qwen 3 235B or Gemma 3 1B?

Qwen 3 235B (Open Source, 235B (22B active)) offers Exceptional Asian languages. Gemma 3 1B (Compact, 1B) offers Tiny footprint. Choose Qwen 3 235B for Pan-India multilingual or Gemma 3 1B for Edge inference.

How much does Qwen 3 235B cost vs Gemma 3 1B?

Qwen 3 235B: $0.06/1M input, $0.10/1M output. Gemma 3 1B: $0.003/1M input, $0.006/1M 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 Qwen 3 235B and Gemma 3 1B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

Related Comparisons

Qwen 3 235B vs GPT-4.1 Nano Qwen 3 235B vs GPT-4o Mini Qwen 3 235B vs Claude Haiku 3.5 Qwen 3 235B vs Gemma 3 27B Qwen 3 235B vs Gemma 3 12B Qwen 3 235B vs Gemma 3 4B

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