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  5. Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)vsSolar Mini 4
Updated Sep 2026

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)vsSolar Mini 4

Solar Mini 4 is cheaper than Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) at $0.05/M vs $0.4/M input tokens.

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) and Solar Mini 4 compared across 17 shared prompts
SpecQwen Plus 0728 (thinking)Solar Mini 4
Input price$0.4/M tokens$0.05/M tokens
Output price$4/M tokens$0.2/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens524K tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedSep 2025Sep 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 17 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Historical Counterfactual Analysis

If the transistor had been invented in 1920 instead of 1947, trace the likely technological, economic, and geopolitical implications through…

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)1,714 words
The Transistor in 1920: A World Transformed by 1980 (A Counterfactual History) The invention of a functional point-contact transistor (likely germanium-based, given 1920s materials science) in 1920 wouldn't immediately spark a revolution.
Read the full answer
Solar Mini 41,539 words
This is a fascinating counterfactual. I need to note upfront that the scientific and engineering foundations for a working transistor did not exist in 1920. Quantum mechanics was barely a decade old, band theory of solids hadn't been developed, and semiconductor physics (doping, p-n junctions, electron mobility) was…
Read the full answer

Debug This Architecture

Here's the architecture for a real-time collaborative document editor (like Google Docs): **System Overview:** - Frontend: React SPA with…

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)1,224 words
Here's a comprehensive analysis of the architecture's failure modes, race conditions, and bottlenecks, with specific solutions and trade-offs: 1. Sync Strategy: Client Timestamps + Last-Write-Wins (LWW) Failure Mode/Race Condition: Clock Skew: Client clocks are unreliable (e.g., user's laptop time off by minutes).
Read the full answer
Solar Mini 41,165 words
Here’s a systematic breakdown of the architectural weaknesses, failure modes, and scaling bottlenecks in your design, along with specific solutions and their trade-offs. Real-Time Synchronization & WebSocket Affinity Issue: Round-robin load balancing is stateless, but WebSockets are stateful and long-lived.
Read the full answer

Michelin Star Recipe Design

Design an innovative recipe for a multi-component dish worthy of a Michelin 3-star restaurant. The recipe should feature an unusual…

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)976 words
"Symbiosis: Mycelial Bloom & Arctic Ember" A dish exploring the hidden dialogue between forest decay and renewal, where fungal lifeblood meets the fierce brightness of the Arctic tundra.
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Solar Mini 41,364 words
Chronos & Tides A Three-Component Study in Preservation, Precision, and Ephemeral Sensation Concept: A single plate that traces the lifecycle of an umami-rich flavor profile through three distinct temporal states: fermented (time in), precision-cooked (time controlled), and volatile (time suspended).
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Explain Like I'm a Specific Expert

Explain how a large language model (like GPT or Claude) learns and generates text to each of these three audiences: 1. **An experienced…

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)1,200 words
For the Experienced Software Engineer (Skeptical Builder) Forget "next word prediction" as a simplistic heuristic—it's the emergent consequence of a massively parallel, distributed state machine solving a high-dimensional compression problem.
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Solar Mini 4893 words
For the Experienced Software Engineer From a systems architecture perspective, the skepticism that "predicting the next word" yields intelligence is understandable, but it stems from viewing the model through a deterministic, code-based lens rather than a probabilistic, distributed-systems lens.
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Simple 7-Ingredient Recipe

Create a simple recipe for a delicious dish (sweet or savory) using only 7 common pantry ingredients. Include a creative name for the dish…

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)282 words
Crispy Chickpea Pantry Pasta Sweet or savory? Savory with a zesty kick! Total time: 15 minutes Serves: 2 Why it works: Uses pantry staples to create a crunchy, garlicky, umami-packed meal with zero fresh produce needed. The chickpeas get incredibly crispy, and lemon juice (bottled) adds bright freshness.
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Solar Mini 4266 words
🌟 Golden Chickpea & Rice Skillet This comforting one-pot dish combines hearty chickpeas, tender rice, and a warm blend of spices. It's a perfect way to use up pantry staples for a quick, flavorful meal.
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Beginner's Longevity Plan

Outline a simple, actionable 1-month plan for someone starting their journey towards better health and longevity. Focus on 3 key areas…

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)854 words
Here’s a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed for absolute beginners. It focuses on diet, movement (exercise), and sleep—the 3 most impactful, science-backed pillars for health and longevity. Each week builds gently on the last, prioritizing tiny, sustainable habits over drastic changes.
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Solar Mini 4669 words
Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed for beginners. The focus is on consistency over intensity, meaning small, sustainable changes are better than drastic overhauls that are hard to maintain. The 3 Key Pillars Nutrition: Focus on adding good things rather than strictly restricting.
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Our Verdict
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)
Solar Mini 4
Solar Mini 4Runner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) has the edge: bigger model tier, bigger context window.

Solar Mini 4 costs 20x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)
Input
$0.40
Output
$4.00
Solar Mini 4
Input
$0.05
8.0× cheaper
Output
$0.20
20× cheaper

Solar Mini 4 is cheaper on both: 8.0× input, 20× output.

Where to run it

1 host

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)

No hosts listed on OpenRouter.

Solar Mini 41 host
HostInOutContextUptime
UUpstage$0.05 in·$0.20 out·524k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 25 Sep 2026.

Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) is developed by Qwen while Solar Mini 4 is developed by Upstage. Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) has a 1.0M token context window vs Solar Mini 4's 524K. You can compare their actual outputs across 17 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

It depends on your use case. Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) and Solar Mini 4 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 17 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) costs $0.4/M input tokens and Solar Mini 4 costs $0.05/M input tokens. Solar Mini 4 is $0.35/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) and Solar Mini 4 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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Model pages

Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking) logo
Qwen Plus 0728 (thinking)37 outputs, specs and price
Solar Mini 4 logo
Solar Mini 419 outputs, specs and price
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