# Gemini 4 Carbon vs Qwen3.8 Max

As of November 10, 2026, Gemini 4 Carbon and Qwen3.8 Max cost the same per input token ($2.00 per 1M), but Gemini 4 Carbon costs 67% more per output token ($10.00 vs $6.00) and has a 1M-token context window versus 992K.

- Page: https://models.litellm.ai/compare/gemini-4-carbon-vs-qwen3.8-max
- Gemini 4 Carbon: https://models.litellm.ai/models/gemini-4-carbon
- Qwen3.8 Max: https://models.litellm.ai/models/qwen3.8-max

## Side by side

| | Gemini 4 Carbon | Qwen3.8 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Input, per 1M tokens | $2.00 | $2.00 |
| Output, per 1M tokens | $10.00 | $6.00 |
| Cache read, per 1M tokens | $0.10 | $0.25 |
| Cache write, per 1M tokens | – | – |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 991,808 tokens |
| Max output | 1,048,576 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Image input | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output (JSON) | Yes | Yes |
| Prompt caching | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Providers on LiteLLM | 2 | 12 |
| Price shown is from | Google AI Studio | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio |
| Added to LiteLLM | November 10, 2026 | August 7, 2026 |

Headline prices in USD per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM's model price file.

## Cheapest provider for each

- Gemini 4 Carbon: Google AI Studio at $2.00 input per 1M tokens (`gemini/gemini-4-carbon`)
- Qwen3.8 Max: DeepInfra at $1.65 input per 1M tokens (`deepinfra/Qwen/Qwen3.8-Max`)

## Benchmark scores

| Benchmark | Gemini 4 Carbon | Qwen3.8 Max |
|---|---|---|
| FrontierSWE (Coding and agents) | 61.2% (high) | 15.8% (xhigh) |
| APEX-Agents (Coding and agents) | 84.2% | 63.3% |

From the Epoch AI Benchmarking Hub (https://epoch.ai/benchmarks), CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), data as of August 27, 2026: Epoch's own runs and results it collects from each benchmark's leaderboard. Higher is better.

## When to pick which

- Gemini 4 Carbon: Returns up to 1,048,576 tokens per response, vs 131,072.
- Qwen3.8 Max: Costs 40% less per output token: $6.00 vs $10.00 per 1M.
- Qwen3.8 Max: Available from 12 providers through LiteLLM, vs 2.

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Gemini 4 Carbon or Qwen3.8 Max?

Qwen3.8 Max is cheaper at 3 input tokens per output token: $3.00 per 1M tokens blended ($2.00 input, $6.00 output), versus $4.00 ($2.00 and $10.00) for Gemini 4 Carbon, as of November 10, 2026.

### Which has the larger context window, Gemini 4 Carbon or Qwen3.8 Max?

Gemini 4 Carbon has the larger context window: 1,048,576 tokens, versus 991,808 for Qwen3.8 Max.

### Can I switch from Gemini 4 Carbon to Qwen3.8 Max without changing my code?

Yes. Through LiteLLM both use the OpenAI format, so switching means changing the model name from "gemini/gemini-4-carbon" to "dashscope/qwen3.8-max", or pointing a LiteLLM gateway model alias at the other model. You can also use one as a fallback for the other.