MiniMax M3 vs Qwen3.6 27B
API pricing, context window and capabilities for MiniMax M3 and Qwen3.6 27B, side by side. Prices are the cheapest listed serving route per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM and OpenRouter.
Verdict
computed from the published numbersMiniMax M3 wins on Terminal-Bench, on intelligence and on context window. Qwen3.6 27B wins on price.
Price
Qwen3.6 27B
Terminal-Bench
MiniMax M3
Intelligence
MiniMax M3
Context window
MiniMax M3
Key takeaways
who wins on what, from the published numbersMiniMax M3 wins
- Larger context window (1M vs 262K)
- Higher max output (1M vs 262K)
- More serving providers (11 vs 8)
Qwen3.6 27B wins
- Cheaper input ($0.23 vs $0.15 /1M)
- Cheaper output ($0.96 vs $0.50 /1M)
- Has web search
Cheaper overall
Qwen3.6 27B
$0.15 + $0.50 /1M
Larger context
MiniMax M3
1M
More providers
MiniMax M3
11 providers
Pricing & specs
cheapest listed route · per 1M tokensOn-demand listed rates, OpenRouter routed quotes and Vercel reseller quotes. Enterprise commitments can be materially lower.
| MiniMax M3 | Qwen3.6 27B | |
|---|---|---|
| Input $/1M | $0.23via Wandb | $0.15via Libertai best |
| Output $/1M | $0.96via Wandb | $0.50via Libertai best |
| Context window | 1M best | 262K |
| Max output | 1M best | 262K |
| Serving providers | 11 best | 8 |
| Date | Released Jun 1, 2026 | Released Apr 24, 2026 |
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores, side by side| MiniMax M3 | Qwen3.6 27B | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 29.2 best | 21.4 |
| Terminal-Bench | 65% best | 61% |
| GPQA Diamond | 93% best | 84% |
| Output speed | 107 t/s best | 58 t/s |
| Latency (TTFT) | 1.21s best | 3.62s |
Cost calculator
choose a serving route for each sideInput tokens / month
Output tokens / month
MiniMax M3
via Wandb
$2.11
Qwen3.6 27B
via Libertai
$1.25
Capabilities
feature support, side by side| Feature | MiniMax M3 | Qwen3.6 27B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tool use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reasoning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio | — | — |
| Prompt caching | ✓ | ✓ |
| Structured output | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web search | — | ✓ |
Related comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3 or Qwen3.6 27B?
Qwen3.6 27B is cheaper for input ($0.23 vs $0.15 per 1M tokens) from Libertai. Qwen3.6 27B is cheaper for output ($0.96 vs $0.50 per 1M tokens) from Libertai.
What is the context window difference between MiniMax M3 and Qwen3.6 27B?
MiniMax M3 has a 1M-token context window and Qwen3.6 27B has 262K tokens, so MiniMax M3 can take a larger prompt.
How do MiniMax M3 and Qwen3.6 27B compare on benchmarks?
On the tracked benchmarks, MiniMax M3 leads on Terminal-Bench, and MiniMax M3 leads on intelligence.
Listed prices from LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Vercel · last checked Oct 14, 2026
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