Alibaba vs 
OpenAI
Verdict
- OpenAI's flagship leads: GPT-6 Astra at 70.4 vs Qwen3.8 Max at 63.3.
- OpenAI's fastest ranked model (GPT-5.4 Mini, 255 tok/s) beats Alibaba's (Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct, 244 tok/s).
- Alibaba publishes more open-weights models (48 vs 3).
- Alibaba ships more often: one model every 7 days against every 22.
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 | OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next 60.3$0.230/M | GPT-6 Luna max 60.0$0.200/M |
| Under $2/M | Qwen3.8-Flash-Next 60.3$0.230/M | GPT-6 Luna max 60.0$0.200/M |
| Under $10/M | Qwen3.8 Max max 63.3$3.00/M | GPT-6.1 Sol max 69.9$4.00/M |
| Any price | Qwen3.8 Max max 63.3$3.00/M | GPT-6 Astra max 70.4$20.00/M |
Line-up
| Metric | Alibaba | OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 63.3 | 70.4 |
| Ranked models | 54 | 44 |
| Open-weights models | 48 | 3 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.060 | $0.093 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 244 | 255 |
| Release cadence, days | 7 | 22 |
| Last release | 17 Sept 2026 | 29 Sept 2026 |
| Next expected | 21 Sept 2026 – 26 Sept 2026 | 12 Oct 2026 – 29 Oct 2026 |