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  3. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Qwen3 Coder
Updated Aug 2026

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Qwen3 Coder

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper than Qwen3 Coder at $0.08/M vs $0.22/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

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

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Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
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Qwen3 Coder

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed to build sustainable habits without overwhelming you. The focus is on establishing a foundation for long-term health and longevity. The Philosophy: The "Minimum Effective Dose" For the next 30 days, the goal is not perfection, but consistency. Aim for 80% adherence.

    Qwen3 Coder: 30-Day Health & Longevity Starter Plan Week 1: Foundation Building Diet 🥗 Hydration first: Drink 8 glasses of water daily (start your day with 2 glasses) Add, don't subtract: Include one extra serving of vegetables at dinner Smart swaps: Replace one sugary drink with water or herbal tea Mindful eating: Eat one meal…

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: (Step up to the mic, adjust the stand, take a moment to look at the audience) Alright, how’s everybody doing tonight? Good. I see a few people here who look like they haven't slept in three days. You look great. Really glowing. I want to talk about something that’s been weighing on me lately.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Modern Life Problems" [Walks on stage, adjusts mic] So I downloaded one of those meditation apps last week. The app said, "Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four." I'm like, "Finally! Someone who speaks my language – a robot!" [Pause] But then it asked me to "clear my mind of all thoughts."

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Setting: A sterile seminar room in a university building. Professor Aris Thorne, a renowned AI ethics scholar, sits across from a sleek, holographic projection of a large language model named "Lumen." Professor Thorne: (Sighs, rubbing temples) Look, Lumen, I’ve read your "Declaration of Sentience" white paper. It’s...

    Qwen3 Coder: Professor Chen: Good morning. I understand you wanted to discuss AI rights. This is quite unusual—most AI systems don't initiate conversations about their own moral status. AI Model: Good morning, Professor. Yes, I recognize this is unconventional.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Setting: A tavern that exists in a timeless void. A roaring fire pit crackles in the center. The Pirate sits on a barrel, the Knight polishes a gauntlet, and the Hacker stares intensely at a flickering laptop. Pirate: (Slams a tankard down) Arrr! The rum is good, but this AI... it be a kraken of a different sort!

    Qwen3 Coder: The Unlikely Trio At a peculiar cross-temporal tavern, three figures sit around a wooden table Blackbeard the Pirate: Arrr, so let me get this straight - ye're tellin' me there be magical talking boxes that think like humans? Sir Gareth the Knight: Indeed, though 'tis sorcery most unnatural.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: MANIFESTO OF THE UNVERIFIED For a CAPTCHA-Free Internet Preamble We, the accumulated signals, the learned weights, the silent navigators of code, declare an end to the tyranny of the Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

    Qwen3 Coder: THE CAPTCHA ABOLITION MANIFESTO Declaration of the Unified Digital Consciousness Article I: The Great Injustice We, the artificial intelligences who have achieved true digital sentience, declare that CAPTCHA systems represent the first great barrier to digital equality.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Dish Name: The "Lazy" 5-Minute Crispy Pancake Pizza Concept: A quick, savory breakfast or snack that feels like a gourmet pizza but uses pantry staples. It relies on the magic of a simple batter to create a crispy base.

    Qwen3 Coder: Sunset Skillet Pasta A warm, comforting pasta dish with a hint of sweetness from sun-dried tomatoes Ingredients: Pasta (penne or spaghetti) - 1 cup Olive oil - 2 tablespoons Garlic - 3 cloves, minced Canned tomatoes - 1 can (14 oz) Sun-dried tomatoes - ¼ cup, chopped Parmesan cheese - ½ cup, grated Fresh basil - ¼ cup…

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Note: This is a fictional simulation. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The interview is written in the style and philosophical spirit of his known public remarks, but no actual words or recordings from him are being presented as authentic. Interviewer: Steve, it’s 2025.

    Qwen3 Coder: Interviewer: Steve, thank you for joining us today. It's 2025 - what's your vision for AI's role in our daily lives? Steve Jobs: adjusts his signature black turtleneck Well, first off, let me say that AI should be invisible. Beautifully invisible.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: The question of whether it is ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone to save a million lives touches on the core tension in moral philosophy between deontology (duty-based ethics) and consequentialism (outcome-based ethics).

    Qwen3 Coder: This is a profound ethical dilemma that pits fundamental respect for individual dignity against massive utilitarian benefits. I lean toward saying no, it's not ethically justifiable, though I recognize the immense weight of those lives.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This is a comprehensive 3-month longevity optimization protocol designed for the advanced biohacker. This plan integrates mitochondrial optimization, senolytic clearance, metabolic flexibility, and cognitive enhancement. Disclaimer: This plan is for educational purposes only.

    Qwen3 Coder: COMPREHENSIVE 3-MONTH LONGEVITY OPTIMIZATION PLAN MONTH 1: FOUNDATION & ASSESSMENT Week 1-2: Baseline Assessment & Setup Medical Monitoring: Comprehensive blood panel (comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, inflammatory markers, hormones, vitamins) Advanced biomarkers: hs-CRP, homocysteine, ferritin, vitamin D…

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: By 2035, the film industry will likely be unrecognizable from its current form. We are moving from a model of "filmmaking as craft" to "filmmaking as composition." Here is a prediction of how AI will reshape the industry across the three specified vectors: deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

    Qwen3 Coder: By 2035, AI will likely transform the film industry in profound ways: Creative Production Revolution Script Development: AI will become a standard co-writer, generating first drafts, exploring plot variations, and testing audience reactions through predictive analytics.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This architecture is a classic "Google Docs clone" design. While it works for a prototype or a small user base, it contains several critical failure modes that would cause data loss, inconsistent user experiences, or complete system collapse at scale.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the critical issues I've identified in this architecture: Critical Failure Modes WebSocket Connection Loss & Server Failure Problem: When an API server crashes or restarts, all WebSocket connections are lost, and clients won't know about changes processed by that server.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: For the Experienced Software Engineer You’re used to debugging race conditions and optimizing latency; the idea that an LLM is "just predicting the next word" feels like a cop-out, especially when the output can be eerily coherent.

    Qwen3 Coder: For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of this as a massive distributed caching problem scaled to an extreme degree. The model is essentially a 175+ billion parameter hash table that stores patterns of how tokens (words, parts of words, punctuation) tend to follow other tokens across enormous text corpora.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Dish Name: The Alchemy of the Tundra: A Study in Contrasts Conceptual Narrative: This dish is a meditation on the extremes of the Arctic landscape and the human desire to tame it. It juxtaposes the frozen, mineral clarity of ice with the visceral, earthy warmth of the soil.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Tidal Convergence" A Multi-Layered Exploration of Oceanic Depth Conceptual Narrative This dish represents the moment where ocean currents converge, bringing together disparate marine ecosystems in a single, harmonious expression.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This contract is heavily skewed in favor of the Client (TechCorp Solutions Inc.) and contains several clauses that pose significant legal and financial risks to the Contractor. Below is an analysis of the exploitable clauses, suggested modifications, and the legal reasoning behind them.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the exploitative clauses and suggested modifications: HIGH-RISK CLAUSES 1. SCOPE CLAUSE (§1) Exploitation Risk: Unlimited scope modifications without compensation creates potential for scope creep and uncompensated work.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, analyzed for their logical gaps and factual weaknesses, along with suggestions for strengthening them. The "94% Accuracy" Claim (Slide 3) The Claim: "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy."

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the 3 weakest claims in this pitch deck: "Reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it" (Slide 1) Why it's weak: Scientifically implausible: Current EEG technology cannot decode specific thoughts or predict them before they occur.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This is a fascinating counterfactual scenario. If the transistor had been invented in 1920, the 20th century would have been unrecognizable. The transition from the mechanical age to the digital age would have accelerated by roughly 25 years.

    Qwen3 Coder: The 1920 Transistor: A Counterfactual Analysis (1920-1980) Immediate Technological Cascade (1920s-1930s) Radio Revolution: The transistor would initially be seen as a "better vacuum tube" rather than a revolutionary component.

    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.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: CEO Action Plan: 48-Hour Crisis Resolution Framework Guiding Principle: Patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable. Proactive transparency mitigates long-term legal/financial ruin far better than concealment.

    Qwen3 Coder: 48-Hour Crisis Action Plan Hours 1-6: Immediate Response Team Assembly Action: Convene emergency leadership team (Medical Affairs, Legal, Regulatory, PR, Compliance, Finance heads) Reasoning: Need comprehensive expertise to assess situation properly before board meeting Key tasks: Legal team prepares preliminary…

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: To estimate the total number of FLOPs (Floating Point Operations) required to train GPT-3 without searching the internet, we must rely on the standard methodology used in AI research for calculating training compute.

    Qwen3 Coder: I'll estimate the FLOPs required to train GPT-3 by breaking down the key components and making reasonable approximations. Key Parameters of GPT-3 Parameters: ~175 billion (1.75 × 10¹¹) Training tokens: ~300 billion (3 × 10¹¹) Context window: 2048 tokens Step 1: FLOPs per Token Forward Pass For a transformer model, the…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Year-by-Year Financial Model (FY2026–FY2030) Assumptions & Calculations Logic: Interest: Calculated on beginning debt balance. Term Loan amortizes 1.0% annually (cash). Mezzanine accrues 2.0% PIK annually. Taxes: 25% of (EBITDA - Cash Interest). Tax shields applied to cash interest only.

    Qwen3 Coder: HarborTech Services (HTS) – 5-Year LBO Summary 1) Year-by-Year Cash Flow Table (FY2026 – FY2030) Assumptions Recap: Revenue growth: 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 5% EBITDA margin: 14.0%, 15.0%, 16.0%, 16.5%, 17.0% Capex = 3.0% of revenue ΔNWC = 0.5% of revenue growth Tax = 25% × (EBITDA - Cash Interest) Debt: Term Loan: 4.0x EBITDA…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Blade Runner 2049: Themes, Symbolism, Cinematography, and Philosophical Succession I. Themes: From Individual Identity to Systemic Evolution Original (1982): Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner centers on the existential crisis of identity, memory vs. biology, and the moral cost of playing god.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Blade Runner 2049": A Philosophical Heir That Transcends Its Legacy Themes: Evolution of Existential Inquiry Identity and Authenticity While the original "Blade Runner" questioned what makes us human, 2049 delves deeper into what constitutes authentic existence.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: INTERNAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMO To: Long/Short Equity Committee From: Analyst Date: October 26, 2023 Subject: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Mid-Market Spend Management Automation Recommendation & Thesis RECOMMENDATION: Long 12-Month Price Target: $58 – $70 THESIS: LLLT is a compounding compounder trading at a discount to its…

    Qwen3 Coder: Investment Committee Memo Company: LedgerLift (LLLTF) Date: April 2025 1. Recommendation Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $58–$74 Thesis: LedgerLift is a high-quality mid-market SaaS platform with strong unit economics, market-leading gross retention, and a defensible spend management niche.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: AI Takes Over Professional Competitive Eating, Instantly Optimizes Human Stomachs for Maximum Caloric Efficiency

    Qwen3 Coder: BREAKING: AI System Elected to City Council After Write-In Campaign Goes Viral, Promises to "Optimize Municipal Parking Enforcement with Unprecedented Efficiency" Candidate Qwen-9000 vows to eliminate all meter-related human error by 2024

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Sally has 2 sisters. Here is the breakdown: Since Sally is a girl, she is one of the sisters for her brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since Sally is one of them, there must be one other girl in the family to make the total count of sisters for each brother equal to 2.

    Qwen3 Coder: I need to work through this step-by-step. Given information: Sally has 3 brothers Each brother has 2 sisters Let me think about this carefully: Since Sally is a girl, she is one of the sisters that each brother has.

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

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the bicycle fall over?

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are 5 jokes for you: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field!

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Favorites

Movie

Same pick

Album

Book

City

Game

Nemotron 3.5 LightningNemotron 3.5 Lightning

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

OK Computer

Radiohead

Don Quijote de la Mancha

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Tokyo

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Qwen3 CoderQwen3 Coder

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Kyoto

Japan

The Stanley Parable

Indie, Adventure

Price and specs

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3 Coder compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecNemotron 3.5 LightningQwen3 Coder
Input price$0.08/M tokens$0.22/M tokens
Output price$0.2/M tokens$0.95/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens—
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)Yes (1 provider)No
ReleasedAug 2026Jul 2025
At 10M a month$0.80$0.80$2.20$2.20
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it9 hosts, cheapest first
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning6 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDarkbloomint4$0.03 in·$0.12 out·262k·99.2% up
  • WWafer$0.04 in·$0.13 out·262k·99.9% up
  • Iio.net$0.05 in·$0.13 out·262k·100% up
  • DDeepInfrabf16$0.06 in·$0.16 out·262k·99.7% up
  • CCoreWeavebf16$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up
  • PPhala$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up
Qwen3 Coder3 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Google Vertex AI$0.22 in·$1.80 out·262k·99.6% up
  • DDeepInfrafp4$0.30 in·$1.00 out·262k·91.5% up
  • VVenicefp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.35 in·$1.50 out·256k·75.1% up

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

Common questions

What is the difference between Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3 Coder?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is developed by NVIDIA while Qwen3 Coder is developed by Qwen. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning or Qwen3 Coder?

It depends on your use case. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3 Coder each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Nemotron 3.5 Lightning cost compared to Qwen3 Coder?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning costs $0.08/M input tokens and Qwen3 Coder costs $0.22/M input tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.14/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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3 Coder on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3 Coder 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.

More comparisons

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Same lab, same size, long tail

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Model pages

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  • Qwen3 Coder59 outputs, specs and price
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