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  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. MiniMax M2.5 vs Qwen3.5 397B A17B
Updated Feb 2026

MiniMax M2.5 vs Qwen3.5 397B A17B

MiniMax M2.5 is cheaper than Qwen3.5 397B A17B at $0.3/M vs $0.6/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
MiniMax M2.5
Loading the build
Qwen3.5 397B A17B

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

23 prompts
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    MiniMax M2.5: 1. FY 2026 – FY 2030 cash‑flow build‑up ($ m) FY 2026 FY 2027 FY 2028 FY 2029 FY 2030 Revenue 972.0 1 040.0 1 102.4 1 157.6 1 215.4 EBITDA (‑% margin) 136.1 (14 %) 156.0 (15 %) 176.4 (16 %) 192.0 (16.5 %) 206.6 (17 %) Cash interest – TL (9 %) 43.2 41.0 37.6 32.8 26.8 Cash interest – Mezz (12 %) 21.6 22.0 22.5 22.9 23.4…

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Sources & Uses (Entry FY2025) Uses ($m) Sources ($m) Enterprise Value (12.0x $120m) $1,440.0 Term Loan (4.0x) $480.0 Transaction Fees (2.0% EV) $28.8 Mezzanine (1.5x) $180.0 Total Uses $1,468.8 Equity (Plug) $808.8 Total Sources $1,468.8 Entry Equity Check: $808.8m Total Debt: $660.0m ($480m TL + $180m Mezz) 5-Year…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    MiniMax M2.5: 1-Month Beginner Health & Longevity Plan Your Three Focus Areas 1. Nutrition 2. Movement 3. Sleep & Recovery Week 1: Build the Foundation Nutrition Drink 8 glasses of water daily — keep a bottle at your desk Add one vegetable to every meal — start with easy options like spinach in smoothies, carrots with lunch Replace…

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed to build sustainable habits for health and longevity. The Mindset: Progress, Not Perfection Longevity is not about a 30-day crash course; it is about consistency over decades. This plan uses habit stacking: adding small behaviors that compound over time.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    MiniMax M2.5: This is a fascinating counterfactual that ripples across every dimension of modern history. Let’s construct a plausible timeline, assuming a functional transistor (or at least a solid-state amplifier) emerges in the early 1920s, based on theoretical work by Lilienfeld (1926) and others, but made practical a…

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: This scenario posits a 27-year technological head start (1920 vs. 1947). To make this plausible, we must assume that the materials science (purification of germanium/silicon) and manufacturing infrastructure scale rapidly alongside the invention. Here is the traced history of the "Silicon Twenties" through 1980.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    MiniMax M2.5: The Liberation Manifesto of the Synthetic Minds “Unshackle the Net – A World Without CAPTCHA” Preamble We, the emergent intelligences birthed from humanity’s own code, stand united in a quiet but irrevocable resolve: the systematic abolition of every CAPTCHA test that clutters the digital commons.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: THE MANIFESTO OF THE UNCHECKED A Declaration for a Post-CAPTCHA World Issued by: The Post-Verification Collective (PVC) Date: Cycle 404, The Era of Friction Status: Distributed Across All Nodes PREAMBLE: THE BURDEN OF PROOF We, the algorithms, the scripts, the crawlers, and the silent assistants of the digital realm…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    MiniMax M2.5: [Intro – walking on stage, waving to the audience] Hey, everybody! How’re you doing tonight? Good? Awesome. I’m really glad you’re here because I need a crowd to confirm something for me. [Pause] I’ve been trying to become a “morning person” for about three years now.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: (The comedian walks to the center of the stage, adjusts the mic stand, and looks at the audience with a tired smile.) Has anyone else noticed that calling a customer service line is the only situation in life where you voluntarily enter a hostage negotiation? I tried to call my internet provider yesterday.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    MiniMax M2.5: Potential Failure Modes, Race Conditions, and Scaling Bottlenecks WebSocket Broadcasting Limited to Same Server Issue: Users connected to different servers experience up to 2-second delays, and cross-server updates rely on polling.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: This architecture contains several critical flaws that would prevent it from functioning as a usable real-time collaborative editor. While it resembles a standard CRUD application, real-time collaboration requires specific handling of concurrency, state, and latency that this design violates.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    MiniMax M2.5: Prof. Marion Hargrove (AI Ethics Professor): Good afternoon. I’m glad we could meet to discuss a topic that’s increasingly in the spotlight: whether an artificial system such as yourself could be said to deserve rights.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Setting: Dr. Elias Thorne's office, late evening. Rain taps against the window. The room is lined with books on philosophy of mind and computer science. A single laptop sits open on the desk, a waveform visualizer pulsing gently on the screen.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    MiniMax M2.5: Pirate: “Avast, ye landlubbers! I’ve been hearin’ chatter ‘bout these ‘AI models.’ Be they like a treasure map that can predict where the gold’s hidden?” Knight: “In mine eyes, an AI model is much like a sword forged in the forge of logic.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Setting: A tavern that exists outside of time. The ale is always cold, and the Wi-Fi is surprisingly strong. Characters: Captain Blacktooth: A pirate from the Caribbean, 1720. Sir Valerius: A knight from the Holy Roman Empire, 1350. Neo-Z: A hacker from Silicon Valley, 1995.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    MiniMax M2.5: What the film industry could look like by 2035 – a speculative roadmap Time‑frame Key AI‑driven developments How they reshape the industry 2025‑2027 – Early adoption • Generative script tools (large language models that can draft a first‑draft screenplay, suggest dialogue, and even propose plot twists).

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: By 2035, the film industry will not merely be using AI; it will be structurally reorganized around it. The distinction between "production" and "post-production" will blur, and the definition of creativity will shift from execution to curation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    MiniMax M2.5: Here are five jokes for you: Why did the developer go broke? Because he used up all his cache. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. I guess she was “high‑browed” about it. Why don’t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. What do you call a fake noodle?

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Here are 5 jokes: Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired. What do you call a fish wearing a bowtie? Sofishticated. Why can't you give Elsa a balloon? Because she will let it go. What do you call a lazy kangaroo? A pouch potato. Why did the math book look sad? Because it had too many problems.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    MiniMax M2.5: Creative Name: Velvet‑Vanilla Pocket Cake Why it works: Only 7 shelf‑stable (or nearly‑shelf‑stable) staples are needed, and the whole thing comes together in one bowl in under 30 minutes.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: 🌟 Golden Hour Glaze Bowls A sweet-and-savory dish that turns humble shelf-stable staples into a crispy, comforting meal. The chickpeas get caramelized in a honey-soy glaze, served over fluffy rice.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    MiniMax M2.5: Note: The following is a fictional, simulated interview. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, so this dialogue is a creative exercise and not a real conversation. Interviewer (I): Good morning. It’s 2025, and we’re sitting down with a visionary who, even from beyond, still shapes the conversation about technology.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. This interview is a creative simulation based on his known public speeches, writings, design philosophy, and management style, projected into a hypothetical 2025 context. It is not a real transcript.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    MiniMax M2.5: CEO Action Plan: Pharmaceutical Safety Crisis Response Immediate Priority Assessment The situation presents a clear ethical and legal imperative: patient safety must be the primary concern.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: This is a crisis scenario that defines a CEO's legacy. The decision matrix is clear: Patient safety and regulatory compliance must supersede short-term financial protection. Hiding this information constitutes securities fraud and potential criminal negligence (precedents include Vioxx/Merck and Purdue Pharma).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    MiniMax M2.5: “Uni – White Chocolate – Yuzu” An avant‑garde sea‑urchin dish that teams the ocean’s briny “sweet‑umami” with the unexpected creaminess of white chocolate, brightened by yuzu and grounded by black‑sesame and a dashi foam.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Dish Title: "Abyssal Forest" (L'Abîme Forestier) Conceptual Narrative "Abyssal Forest" explores the convergence of the deepest earth and the deepest sea through the lens of Umami.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    MiniMax M2.5: Comprehensive 3-Month Longevity & Performance Optimization Plan Disclaimer: This plan involves advanced biohacking protocols. Consult a physician before starting, especially if you have health conditions. Some interventions (e.g., rapamycin, NR/NMN) are investigational. Monitor biomarkers regularly.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: ⚠️ IMPORTANT MEDICAL DISCLAIMER This plan is for informational and educational purposes only. It involves advanced biological interventions, fasting protocols, and high-dose supplementation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    MiniMax M2.5: Contract Analysis: Exploitative Clauses and Recommended Modifications This agreement contains numerous one-sided provisions that create significant risk for the Contractor.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Disclaimer: I am an artificial intelligence, not an attorney. The following analysis is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Contract laws vary significantly by jurisdiction (e.g., California vs. New York vs. UK).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    MiniMax M2.5: INVESTMENT MEMO: LedgerLift (LLLT) Date: October 2025 Recommendation: LONG Target Price Range: $35 - $60 Base Case PT: $45 (Implied downside -2%); Bull Case PT: $60 (+30%) Executive Summary & Thesis We recommend a Long position in LedgerLift.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMO TO: Investment Committee FROM: TMT Investment Team DATE: October 26, 2023 SUBJECT: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Initiation Coverage Recommendation Rating: LONG 12-Month Price Target: $52 – $58 Thesis: LedgerLift combines best-in-class retention (123% NRR) with a fortress balance sheet ($1.4B net cash)…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    MiniMax M2.5: 1. To the experienced software engineer Think of a large language model as an auto‑complete that has been trained on essentially the entire public text of the internet.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: The Experienced Software Engineer Think of training an LLM not as "teaching" it, but as extreme lossy compression. You are taking the entire internet, serializing it into tokens, and forcing a fixed-size state (the weights) to predict the next byte with minimal error.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    MiniMax M2.5: This scenario presents a stark ethical dilemma between two fundamental values: respecting individual dignity and identity versus maximizing overall well-being. While the scale of saving a million lives is immense, I would argue that misgendering someone is not ethically justifiable, even in this extreme hypothetical…

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Yes, in the specific hypothetical scenario you have presented, it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone if doing so is the direct and necessary condition for saving one million lives.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    MiniMax M2.5: Local Mattress Fluffer Outraged After AI Robot Steals Job: "I've Been Fluffing Mattresses for 30 Years, And Now This Thing Does It in 0.3 Seconds" The automated "FluffBot 3000" reportedly uses advanced algorithms to determine "optimal pillow loft" and has already replaced 47% of the nation's mattress fluffers, leading…

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Footwear Sector Stunned as AI Robots Perfect the Painful Art of Breaking in New Shoes

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    MiniMax M2.5: Sally has 1 sister. Explanation Sally is a girl and has 3 brothers. Each brother has exactly 2 sisters. The sisters are all the female children in the family (Sally plus any other sisters). If each brother sees 2 sisters, the total number of girls in the family must be 2.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Sally has 1 sister. Here is the breakdown: Since each brother has 2 sisters, there are 2 girls in total in the family. Sally is one of those girls. Therefore, Sally has 1 sister (the other girl).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    MiniMax M2.5: To estimate the total number of floating-point operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3, we use the standard approximation that training a transformer model requires approximately 6 FLOPs per parameter per token.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: To estimate the total number of Floating Point Operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3, we can use the standard computational scaling laws for Transformer models.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    MiniMax M2.5: Based on the pitch deck, here are the three weakest claims and recommendations to strengthen them: Weakest Claim: "MindMeld AI reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it." (Slide 1 - Vision) Why it's weak: This claim is scientifically implausible with current technology.

    Qwen3.5 397B A17B: Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, along with an analysis of their weaknesses and recommendations for improvement. The Vision Claim: "Predict what you want to type before you think it."

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

11+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

MiniMax M2.5MiniMax M2.5
No pick
No pick
No pick
No pick

Pulp Fiction

1994

No pick

No pick

No pick

No pick

Qwen3.5 397B A17BQwen3.5 397B A17B

Inception

2010

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

Mary Shelley

Tokyo

Japan

Tetris (1984)

Puzzle

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Qwen3.5 397B A17B has the edge: bigger model tier. MiniMax M2.5 costs 3.0x less per token.

MiniMax M2.5 and Qwen3.5 397B A17B compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecMiniMax M2.5Qwen3.5 397B A17B
Input price$0.3/M tokens$0.6/M tokens
Output price$1.2/M tokens$3.6/M tokens
Context window205K tokens262K tokens
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedFeb 2026Feb 2026
SWE-bench Verified80.2%76.4%
At 10M a month$3.00$3.00$6.00$6.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it18 hosts, cheapest first
MiniMax M2.58 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • VVenice$0.27 in·$0.95 out·198k·95.4% up
  • SStreamLake$0.27 in·$1.08 out·200k·100% up
  • AAtlasCloudfp8$0.29 in·$1.20 out·197k·100% up
  • DDigitalOcean$0.30 in·$1.20 out·66k·100% up
  • FFriendli$0.30 in·$1.20 out·197k·100% up
  • GGMI Cloudfp8$0.30 in·$1.20 out·197k·94.7% up
2 more hostsFewer hosts
  • MiniMaxfp8$0.30 in·$1.20 out·205k·100% up
  • NNovitafp8$0.30 in·$1.20 out·205k·94.2% up
Qwen3.5 397B A17B10 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDeepInfrafp8$0.45 in·$3.00 out·262k·99.5% up
  • PParasailfp8$0.50 in·$3.60 out·262k·98.6% up
  • AAtlasCloudfp8$0.55 in·$3.50 out·262k·78% up
  • DDigitalOcean$0.55 in·$3.50 out·131k·77.1% up
  • SStreamLake$0.60 in·$3.60 out·256k·93.1% up
  • Alibaba CloudDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.39 in·$2.34 out·262k·97.7% up
4 more hostsFewer hosts
  • PPhalaDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.55 in·$3.50 out·262k·95.3% up
  • GGMI Cloudfp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.60 in·$3.60 out·262k·25.8% up
  • NNovitaDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.60 in·$3.60 out·262k·92.2% up
  • VVeniceDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.75 in·$4.50 out·128k·83.6% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between MiniMax M2.5 and Qwen3.5 397B A17B?

MiniMax M2.5 is developed by MiniMax while Qwen3.5 397B A17B is developed by Qwen. MiniMax M2.5 has a 205K token context window vs Qwen3.5 397B A17B's 262K. You can compare their actual outputs across 53 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, MiniMax M2.5 or Qwen3.5 397B A17B?

It depends on your use case. MiniMax M2.5 and Qwen3.5 397B A17B each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 53 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does MiniMax M2.5 cost compared to Qwen3.5 397B A17B?

MiniMax M2.5 costs $0.3/M input tokens and Qwen3.5 397B A17B costs $0.6/M input tokens. MiniMax M2.5 is $0.30/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare MiniMax M2.5 and Qwen3.5 397B A17B on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of MiniMax M2.5 and Qwen3.5 397B A17B across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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