MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B

As of November 12, 2026, MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs 200% more per input token than Qwen3.6 35B A3B ($0.15 vs $0.05 per 1M) and has a 1M-token context window versus 256K.

Prices from LiteLLM's price fileChecked November 12, 2026

MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B side by side

Headline prices in US dollars per 1M tokens: each model's own lab where it sells it, otherwise its cheapest provider. Source: LiteLLM model price file, as of November 12, 2026.
	MiniMax M3.1 Flash	Qwen3.6 35B A3B
Input, per 1M tokens	$0.15	$0.05
Output, per 1M tokens	$0.60	$0.40
Cache read, per 1M tokens	$0.015	$0.02
Cache write, per 1M tokens	–	–
Context window	1,000,000 tokens	262,144 tokens
Max output	524,288 tokens	262,144 tokens
Image input	Yes	Yes
Tool calling	Yes	Yes
Structured output (JSON)	Yes	Yes
Prompt caching	Yes	Yes
Reasoning	Yes	Yes
Providers on LiteLLM	9	12
Price shown is from	MiniMax	Sail
Added to LiteLLM	October 19, 2026	June 2026

Cheapest provider for each

MiniMax M3.1 Flash: Refuseless at $0.05 input and $0.25 output per 1M tokens (refuseless/minimax-m3.1-flash)
Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Sail at $0.05 input and $0.40 output per 1M tokens (sail/Qwen/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B)

When to pick which

Pick MiniMax M3.1 Flash for

Larger context window: 1,000,000 vs 262,144 tokens.
Returns up to 524,288 tokens per response, vs 262,144.

Pick Qwen3.6 35B A3B for

Costs 67% less per input token: $0.05 vs $0.15 per 1M.

From differences in the data above only; where the data is equal, no reason is given.

Call MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.6 35B A3B with LiteLLM

Both use the OpenAI format through LiteLLM, so switching is a model name change. Set each provider's API key in the environment first.

Python SDK

from litellm import completion

messages = [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]

# MiniMax M3.1 Flash
response = completion(model="minimax/MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", messages=messages)

# Qwen3.6 35B A3B
response = completion(model="sail/Qwen/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B", messages=messages)

# MiniMax M3.1 Flash, falling back to Qwen3.6 35B A3B if the call fails
response = completion(model="minimax/MiniMax-M3.1-Flash", messages=messages, fallbacks=["sail/Qwen/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B"])

FAQ

Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.6 35B A3B?

Qwen3.6 35B A3B is cheaper at 3 input tokens per output token: $0.1375 per 1M tokens blended ($0.05 input, $0.40 output), versus $0.2625 ($0.15 and $0.60) for MiniMax M3.1 Flash, as of November 12, 2026.

Which has the larger context window, MiniMax M3.1 Flash or Qwen3.6 35B A3B?

MiniMax M3.1 Flash has the larger context window: 1,000,000 tokens, versus 262,144 for Qwen3.6 35B A3B.

Can I switch from MiniMax M3.1 Flash to Qwen3.6 35B A3B without changing my code?

Yes. Through LiteLLM both use the OpenAI format, so switching means changing the model name from "minimax/MiniMax-M3.1-Flash" to "sail/Qwen/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B", or pointing a LiteLLM gateway model alias at the other model. You can also use one as a fallback for the other.