Alibaba vs 
Google
Verdict
- Their flagships are level: Gemini 3.7 Flash 64.4 vs Qwen3 8 63.9.
- Google has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- Google's fastest ranked model (Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite, 378 tok/s) beats Alibaba's (Qwen3.5 Omni Flash, 235 tok/s).
- Alibaba publishes more open-weights models (44 vs 9).
- Alibaba ships more often: one model every 6 days against every 20.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | Alibaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next 59.3$0.230/M | Gemma 4 26B A4B 54.0$0.190/M |
| Under $2/M | Qwen3.7 Plus 59.7$1.13/M | Gemini 3.7 Flash medium 64.4$1.50/M |
| Under $10/M | Qwen3 8 max 63.9$2.67/M | Gemini 3.7 Flash medium 64.4$1.50/M |
| Any price | Qwen3 8 max 63.9$2.67/M | Gemini 3.7 Flash medium 64.4$1.50/M |
Line-up
| Metric | Alibaba | |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 63.9 | 64.4 |
| Ranked models | 44 | 34 |
| Open-weights models | 44 | 9 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.030 | $0.040 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 235 | 378 |
| Release cadence, days | 6 | 20 |
| Last release | 26 Aug 2026 | 2 Sept 2026 |
| Next expected | 29 Aug 2026 – 3 Sept 2026 | 14 Sept 2026 – 30 Sept 2026 |