MiniMax M1 vs Qwen-Plus
Qwen-Plus costs 2.8x less per output token than MiniMax M1 ($0.78 vs $2.20 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 23 benchmarks have a result for both.
MiniMax M1 or Qwen-Plus: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick MiniMax M1 for work measured by LMArena Text: expert or LMArena Text: legal and government, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 23
- MiniMax M1 only
- 6
- Qwen-Plus only
- 5
- Like-for-like categories
- 5 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
No call
Only MiniMax M1 has a AA Intelligence Index result, 11.7.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
No call
Both take 1M tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Qwen-Plus
MiniMax M1 $0.0015, Qwen-Plus $0.0006 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- MiniMax M1 not benchmarked, Qwen-Plus not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Math, 5.4 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- LMArena Text: math: MiniMax M1 1361 against Qwen-Plus 1326, 5.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- MiniMax M1 $2.20 against Qwen-Plus $0.78 per million output tokens, 2.8x apart.
- Context window
- Both take 1M tokens.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | MiniMax M1 | Bars | Qwen-Plus | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 2 | 1 | ||
| Math | 2 | 0 | ||
| Knowledge | 3 | 1 | ||
| General | 10 | 2 | ||
| All shared boards | 19 | 4 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: coding | 1359 | 1328 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1359 | 1343 | MiniMax M1 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 37 boards here | |||
IntelligenceDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 11.7 | Not measured | Only MiniMax M1 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 41 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index21
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | Not measured | 48.1% | Only Qwen-Plus measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1339 | 1317 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1317 | 1328 | Qwen-Plus |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1353 | 1333 | MiniMax M1 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTIS Mock AIME | Not measured | 17.8% | Only Qwen-Plus measured |
| MATH level 5 | Not measured | 65.3% | Only Qwen-Plus measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1361 | 1326 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1363 | 1332 | MiniMax M1 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index31
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: science | 1354 | 1352 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1355 | 1350 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1337 | 1349 | Qwen-Plus |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1319 | 1303 | MiniMax M1 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 14 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index102
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| DTBench | Not measured | 81.1% | Only Qwen-Plus measured |
| LMCA | Not measured | 24.0% | Only Qwen-Plus measured |
| LMArena Text | 1343 | 1326 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1312 | 1303 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1297 | 1292 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: English | 1363 | 1339 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1319 | 1310 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1360 | 1347 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: German | 1350 | Not measured | Only MiniMax M1 measured |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1217 | 1251 | Qwen-Plus |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1266 | Not measured | Only MiniMax M1 measured |
| LMArena Text: French | 1370 | Not measured | Only MiniMax M1 measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1353 | Not measured | Only MiniMax M1 measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1329 | 1323 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: Polish | 1329 | Not measured | Only MiniMax M1 measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1335 | 1336 | Qwen-Plus |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1326 | 1324 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1311 | 1296 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1303 | 1270 | MiniMax M1 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 27 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Qwen-Plus costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Qwen-Plus costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Qwen-Plus costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | MiniMax M1 | Qwen-Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | MiniMax | Qwen |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | June 17, 2025 | February 1, 2025 |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.40 | $0.26 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.20 | $0.78 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is MiniMax M1 better than Qwen-Plus for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick MiniMax M1 for work measured by LMArena Text: expert or LMArena Text: legal and government, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M1 or Qwen-Plus?
MiniMax M1 costs $0.40 per million input tokens and $2.20 per million output tokens; Qwen-Plus costs $0.26 and $0.78. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, MiniMax M1 or Qwen-Plus?
Neither: both take 1M tokens.
How many benchmarks is the MiniMax M1 vs Qwen-Plus comparison based on?
23 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. MiniMax M1's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Qwen-Plus's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.