Alibaba vs 
OpenAI
Verdict
- OpenAI's flagship leads: GPT-6 Astra at 70.6 vs Qwen3 8 at 63.9.
- OpenAI has the better model in 2 of 4 price bands.
- Alibaba's fastest ranked model (Qwen3.5 Omni Flash, 235 tok/s) beats OpenAI's (GPT-5.4 mini, 218 tok/s).
- Alibaba publishes more open-weights models (44 vs 4).
- Alibaba ships more often: one model every 6 days against every 26.
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 59.3$0.230/M | GPT-5.6 Luna xhigh 59.3$0.450/M |
| Under $2/M | Qwen3.7 Plus 59.7$1.13/M | GPT-5.6 Luna xhigh 59.3$0.450/M |
| Under $10/M | Qwen3 8 max 63.9$2.67/M | GPT-5.6 Sol high 68.0$8.00/M |
| Any price | Qwen3 8 max 63.9$2.67/M | GPT-6 Astra max 70.6$22.00/M |
Line-up
| Metric | Alibaba | OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 63.9 | 70.6 |
| Ranked models | 44 | 38 |
| Open-weights models | 44 | 4 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.030 | $0.085 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 235 | 218 |
| Release cadence, days | 6 | 26 |
| Last release | 26 Aug 2026 | 3 Sept 2026 |
| Next expected | 29 Aug 2026 – 3 Sept 2026 | 18 Sept 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |