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  5. Qwen3 Max ThinkingvsSolar Mini 4
Updated Sep 2026

Qwen3 Max ThinkingvsSolar Mini 4

Solar Mini 4 is cheaper than Qwen3 Max Thinking at $0.05/M vs $1.2/M input tokens.

Qwen3 Max Thinking and Solar Mini 4 compared across 19 shared prompts
SpecQwen3 Max ThinkingSolar Mini 4
Input price$1.2/M tokens$0.05/M tokens
Output price$6/M tokens$0.2/M tokens
Context window262K tokens524K tokens
WeightsClosed—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedFeb 2026Sep 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 19 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…

Qwen3 Max Thinking1,156 words
The 1920 Transistor Counterfactual: A Plausible Alternate Timeline Through 1980 (Assumptions: A functional point-contact silicon-germanium hybrid transistor is patented in 1920 by a U.S. team at Western Electric (AT&T). U.S. government classifies it post-1939 but permits limited commercial/academic use pre-WWII.
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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…

Qwen3 Max Thinking769 words
Critical Flaws in Proposed Architecture & Targeted Solutions 🔒 Security & Authentication Issue Impact Solution Trade-offs JWT Stored in localStorage Critical XSS vulnerability (token exposure via JS). Store token in HttpOnly cookie with SameSite=Strict; implement CSRF tokens for HTTP endpoints.
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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…

Qwen3 Max Thinking991 words
🌊 ARCTIC DAWN 🌊 A Michelin 3-Star Composition by Chef Élise Valère "Where the ice remembers the sea." 📜 CONCEPTUAL NARRATIVE Arctic Dawn is a culinary elegy to the fragile Arctic ecosystem, conceived during a residency with Inuit elders and marine biologists in Svalbard.
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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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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…

Qwen3 Max Thinking288 words
🌰 Pantry Peanut Magic Noodles Sweet, savory, and ready before delivery arrives. No fresh produce, dairy, or meat required. ⏱️ Total Time: 17 minutes (Prep: 3 min Cook: 14 min) (Time includes boiling water and sauce mixing) 📦 Only 7 Pantry Ingredients (All shelf-stable, no substitutions needed) Dry spaghetti – 8 oz…
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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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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…

Qwen3 Max Thinking646 words
For the Experienced Software Engineer You’re right to be skeptical—*next-token prediction* sounds trivial. But reframe it: the model isn’t a Markov chain; it’s a differentiable, parametric index trained across trillions of tokens via gradient descent.
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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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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…

Qwen3 Max Thinking658 words
🌱 A Simple 30-Day Health & Longevity Starter Plan Designed for absolute beginners • No perfection. No extremes. Just consistent, joyful progress. 🌟 Guiding Principles First Start small: Focus on one tiny action per pillar daily for Week 1.
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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
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Solar Mini 4
Solar Mini 4

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, nothing separates them.

Solar Mini 4 costs 30x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Qwen3 Max Thinking
Input
$1.20
Output
$6.00
Solar Mini 4
Input
$0.05
24× cheaper
Output
$0.20
30× cheaper

Solar Mini 4 is cheaper on both: 24× input, 30× output.

Where to run it

2 hosts

Qwen3 Max Thinking1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
Alibaba Cloud$0.78 in·$3.90 out·262k·100% up
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

Qwen3 Max Thinking is developed by Qwen while Solar Mini 4 is developed by Upstage. Qwen3 Max Thinking has a 262K token context window vs Solar Mini 4's 524K. You can compare their actual outputs across 19 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

It depends on your use case. Qwen3 Max Thinking and Solar Mini 4 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 19 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

Qwen3 Max Thinking costs $1.2/M input tokens and Solar Mini 4 costs $0.05/M input tokens. Solar Mini 4 is $1.15/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 Qwen3 Max 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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Rival
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