Key Takeaways
MiniMax M2.1 wins:
- Cheaper output tokens
- Faster response time
- Higher intelligence benchmark
- Better at coding
- Better at math
- Has reasoning mode
- Supports tool calls
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B wins:
- Cheaper input tokens
- Larger context window
- Supports vision
Price Advantage
MiniMax M2.1
Benchmark Advantage
MiniMax M2.1
Context Window
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B
Speed
MiniMax M2.1
Pricing Comparison
Price Comparison
| Metric | MiniMax M2.1 | Qwen3.5-35B-A3B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $0.27 | $0.25 | Qwen3.5-35B-A3B |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $0.95 | $2.00 | MiniMax M2.1 |
| Cache Read (per 1M) | $0.03 | N/A | MiniMax M2.1 |
Using a 3:1 input/output ratio, MiniMax M2.1 is 36% cheaper overall.
MiniMax M2.1 Providers
DeepInfra $0.27 (Cheapest)
AtlasCloud $0.29
SiliconFlow $0.29
Minimax $0.30
Friendli $0.30
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B Providers
Alibaba $0.25 (Cheapest)
Benchmark Comparison
6
Benchmarks Compared
0
MiniMax M2.1 Wins
0
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B Wins
Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | MiniMax M2.1 | Qwen3.5-35B-A3B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Intelligence Index Overall intelligence score | 39.4 | - | - |
Coding Index Code generation & understanding | 32.8 | - | - |
Math Index Mathematical reasoning | 82.7 | - | - |
MMLU Pro Academic knowledge | 87.5 | - | - |
GPQA Graduate-level science | 83.0 | - | - |
LiveCodeBench Competitive programming | 81.0 | - | - |
MiniMax M2.1 significantly outperforms in coding benchmarks.
Cost vs Quality
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MiniMax M2.1
Other models
Context & Performance
Context Window
MiniMax M2.1
196,608
tokens
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B
262,144
tokens
Max output: 65,536 tokens
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B has a 25% larger context window.
Speed Performance
| Metric | MiniMax M2.1 | Qwen3.5-35B-A3B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokens/second | 53.2 tok/s | N/A | |
| Time to First Token | 3.30s | N/A |
Capabilities
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MiniMax M2.1 | Qwen3.5-35B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Tool/Function Calls | ||
| Reasoning Mode | ||
| Audio Input | ||
| Audio Output | ||
| PDF Input | ||
| Prompt Caching | ||
| Web Search |
License & Release
| Property | MiniMax M2.1 | Qwen3.5-35B-A3B |
|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Author | Minimax | Qwen |
| Released | Dec 2025 | Feb 2026 |
MiniMax M2.1 Modalities
Input
text
Output
text
Qwen3.5-35B-A3B Modalities
Input
textimagevideo
Output
text