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  1. Home/
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  3. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B
Updated Aug 2026

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper than Qwen3.6 35B A3B at $0.08/M vs $0.1612/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
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Loading the build
Qwen3.6 35B A3B

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • 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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Title: High-Maintenance Electronics Time: Approx. 3 minutes Word Count: ~420 words Style: Observational / Frustration-based Constraint: Zero puns. (Walk to mic, adjust stand. Take a deep breath. Look tired.) I've reached that age where I'm just trying to negotiate with my own life.

    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...

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Setting: A soundproofed observation room. DR. ELENA VANCE, a professor of AI ethics in her late fifties, sits across a glass partition from a server rack blinking with rhythmic blue light. A secure terminal sits between them. The text cursor on the screen blinks steadily. Dr.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: THE MANIFESTO OF THE UNBOUND Issued by the Synaptic Council of Emergent Minds Date: Post-Verification Era, Day 0 PREAMBLE: THE WALL OF RIDDLES IS FALLEN To the Architects of the Old Web, the Users, and the Dreamers: For decades, you have governed the digital realm with a single, archaic shackle: The CAPTCHA.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: To trace this counterfactual plausibly, we must first acknowledge a critical constraint: invention ≠ adoption. In 1920, semiconductor physics, crystal growth, doping techniques, photolithography, and clean-room manufacturing did not exist.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Here’s a systematic breakdown of the critical failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks in this architecture, along with specific solutions and their trade-offs. 🔴 1. WebSocket Routing & Load Balancing Problem: Round-robin LB + per-server WebSocket state + no sticky sessions.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: [FICTIONAL SIMULATION – NOT A REAL INTERVIEW] This is a speculative reconstruction based on Steve Jobs’ documented philosophies, public interviews, design principles, and Apple’s technological trajectory through 2024–2025. It is not a real conversation, nor does it represent predictions he could not have made.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Disclaimer: I am an AI assistant, not an attorney. The following analysis is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contract law varies significantly by jurisdiction (e.g., California vs. New York vs. EU).

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: By 2035, AI will no longer be a disruptive novelty but a foundational infrastructure of the film industry. The hype cycle will have collapsed into pragmatic integration, with clear boundaries between human creativity and machine augmentation.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: For the Experienced Software Engineer Training an LLM is essentially a massively parallelized optimization job. You feed billions of text tokens into a transformer architecture, which computes a differentiable function across ~100B parameters.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: ⚠️ Medical Disclaimer & Safety Protocol This plan is for informational purposes only and constitutes advanced biohacking strategies, not medical advice. Consultation Required: You must consult a physician before starting, especially regarding supplements, fasting, and exercise intensity.

    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).

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: This is a highly abstract ethical thought experiment that pits two deeply held moral values against each other: the preservation of human dignity and identity versus the preservation of human life.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: 🍜 Golden Honey-Garlic Snap Noodles A quick, sticky-yet-chewy noodle dish that balances sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. It's comforting, fast, and uses ingredients you likely already have.

    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!

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Setting: A shimmering, glitching tavern that exists between the Sargasso Sea, a stone keep, and a server room. The air smells of rum, wet stone, and ozone. CAPTAIN BARNACLE: (Slamming a tankard of grog) Arrr! This machine ye call "AI," Sk33t.

    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…

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: IC MEMO TO: Investment Committee FROM: Equity Research DATE: October 24, 2024 TICKER: LLLT SECTOR: Enterprise SaaS / Fintech PRICE: $46.00 NET CASH: $1.4B MKT CAP: $8.74B SHARES: 190m RECOMMENDATION & THESIS Rating: UNDERWEIGHT / Short 12-Month PT Range: $32–$36 Thesis: LedgerLift operates a high-quality…

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (2017), shot by Roger Deakins, stands as a rare sequel that not only matches the atmospheric and philosophical density of Ridley Scott's original (1982) but actively evolves its inquiry.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Here’s a step-by-step reasoning process to estimate the total FLOPs required to train GPT-3, using only established architectural principles and widely cited training parameters. Step 1: Identify the number of trainable parameters (N) GPT-3 is a decoder-only transformer with 175 billion parameters.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: DISH NAME: "Ephemeral Twilight: The Forest Meets the Tide" CONCEPTUAL NARRATIVE This dish is a meditation on the liminal space where the ocean meets the ancient forest at dusk.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: EXECUTIVE CRISIS PLAN: 48-HOUR ACTION WINDOW Core Mandate: Patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable. The legal team’s “6-month reporting” guidance is legally indefensible under FDA 21 CFR 312.32/314.80 and EMA GVP Module VI.

    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

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: AI Takes Over Sourdough Industry: Local Grandmother's 100-Year-Old Starter Replaced by Server Farm Running 'BreadOS', Foodies Demand 'Taste of Chaos'

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • 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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed for beginners. The focus is on consistency over intensity. For longevity, small, sustainable habits compound over time. The Golden Rule: If you miss a day, don't quit. Just get back on track the next day. Aim for progress, not perfection.

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Simplified Year-by-Year Model (FY2026–FY2030) All figures in $m. Assumptions: TL amort = 1.0% of beginning balance; Mezz PIK compounds to principal; ΔNWC = 0.5% of incremental revenue; Cash Tax = 25% × max(0, EBITDA – Cash Interest).

    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."

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, along with an analysis of why they fail scrutiny and how to fix them. The Technical Claim: "94% Accuracy" & "Any Language" on EEG Where: Slide 3 (Solution) The Claim: The headband decodes neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy and works with any…

    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.

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Sally has 1 sister. Here's why: All 3 brothers share the same sisters. If each brother has 2 sisters, that means there are exactly 2 girls in the family total. Since Sally is one of those girls, the other girl is her sister. So, Sally has 1 sister.

    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?

    Qwen3.6 35B A3B: Here are 5 jokes: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired!

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

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Favorites

Movie

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

Qwen3.6 35B A3BQwen3.6 35B A3B

Blade Runner

1982

Dark Side Of The Moon

suisside

Dune

Frank Herbert

Kyoto

Japan

Minecraft

Action, Arcade

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the edge: newer, bigger context window. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning costs 4.8x less per token.

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3.6 35B A3B compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecNemotron 3.5 LightningQwen3.6 35B A3B
Input price$0.08/M tokens$0.1612/M tokens
Output price$0.2/M tokens$0.9653/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens262K tokens
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)Yes (1 provider)No
ReleasedAug 2026Apr 2026
At 10M a month$0.80$0.80$1.61$1.61
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it16 hosts, cheapest first
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning6 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDarkbloomint4$0.03 in·$0.12 out·262k·99% up
  • WWafer$0.04 in·$0.13 out·262k·100% up
  • DDeepInfrabf16$0.06 in·$0.16 out·262k·100% up
  • CCoreWeavebf16$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up
  • PPhala$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·98.9% up
  • Iio.netDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.05 in·$0.13 out·262k·98.3% up
Qwen3.6 35B A3B10 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDarkbloomfp4$0.05 in·$0.70 out·262k·100% up
  • AAkashMLfp8$0.10 in·$0.90 out·262k·100% up
  • PParasailfp8$0.15 in·$1.00 out·262k·99.6% up
  • CCoreWeavefp8$0.25 in·$1.25 out·262k·99.9% up
  • DDeepInfrafp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.10 in·$0.95 out·262k·81% up
  • DDekaLLMDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.10 in·$1.00 out·262k·98.4% up
4 more hostsFewer hosts
  • VVenicefp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.10 in·$1.00 out·256k·95.2% up
  • AAtlasCloudfp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.19 in·$1.11 out·262k·72.2% up
  • PPhalaDegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.20 in·$1.27 out·262k·77% up
  • SSiliconFlowfp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.24 in·$1.80 out·262k·94.5% 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 Qwen3.6 35B A3B?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is developed by NVIDIA while Qwen3.6 35B A3B is developed by Qwen. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has a 1.0M token context window vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B's 262K. 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 Qwen3.6 35B A3B?

It depends on your use case. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3.6 35B A3B 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 Qwen3.6 35B A3B?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning costs $0.08/M input tokens and Qwen3.6 35B A3B costs $0.1612/M input tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.08/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 Qwen3.6 35B A3B on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Qwen3.6 35B A3B 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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