Qwen3.6 27B vs Qwen3.6 Flash
Qwen3.6 Flash costs 2.4x less per output token than Qwen3.6 27B ($1.125 vs $2.70 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 7 benchmarks have a result for both.
Qwen3.6 27B or Qwen3.6 Flash: which to pick
Only Qwen3.6 27B has a coding score, 36.8 on the Vibe Coding Index; Qwen3.6 Flash has none, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Qwen3.6 Flash for output tokens 2.4x cheaper ($1.125 vs $2.70 per million) and a larger context window (1M against 262K tokens).
- Shared results
- 7
- Qwen3.6 27B only
- 17
- Qwen3.6 Flash only
- 4
- Like-for-like categories
- 4 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
Only Qwen3.6 27B has a coding score, so no call is made.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
No call
Only Qwen3.6 27B has a AA Intelligence Index result, 21.4.
Directional only
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Qwen3.6 27B has a AA Agentic Index result, 18.5.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Qwen3.6 Flash
Qwen3.6 Flash takes 1M tokens against 262K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Qwen3.6 Flash
Qwen3.6 27B $0.0018, Qwen3.6 Flash $0.0008 per turn.
List prices
Cost per solved task
One SWE-bench Verified task, solved
No call
Only Qwen3.6 27B has the number, $1.30.
Directional only
At a glance
- Coding index
- Qwen3.6 27B 36.8 from 2 benchmarks, Qwen3.6 Flash not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Math, 9.6 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- FrontierMath, tiers 1 to 3: Qwen3.6 27B 35.1% against Qwen3.6 Flash 22.5%, 12.6 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Qwen3.6 27B $2.70 against Qwen3.6 Flash $1.125 per million output tokens, 2.4x apart.
- Context window
- Qwen3.6 27B takes 262K tokens, Qwen3.6 Flash 1M.
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 | Qwen3.6 27B | Bars | Qwen3.6 Flash | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 1 | 1 | ||
| Math | 2 | 0 | ||
| General | 2 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 6 | 1 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index6 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 53.7 | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| SWE-bench Verified (Vals AI) | 70.0% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI) | 11.9% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| SciCode | 42.8% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 34.8% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| ALE-Bench | Not measured | 326.4 | Only Qwen3.6 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 33 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 21.4 | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 146.2 | 142.9 | Qwen3.6 27B |
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 18.5 | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 94.2% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index11
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 84.2% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 23.1% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | 85.9% | 83.3% | Qwen3.6 27B |
| SimpleBench | Not measured | 35.2% | Only Qwen3.6 Flash measured |
| Chess puzzles | Not measured | 12.0% | Only Qwen3.6 Flash measured |
| Mystery game puzzles | 7.0% | 18.0% | Qwen3.6 Flash |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTIS Mock AIME | 91.1% | 84.4% | Qwen3.6 27B |
| FrontierMath, tiers 1 to 3 | 35.1% | 22.5% | Qwen3.6 27B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaseLaw (Vals AI) | 53.2% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| CorpFin (Vals AI) | 62.3% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| TaxEval (Vals AI) | 71.3% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| MortgageTax (Vals AI) | 68.3% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| SimpleQA Verified | Not measured | 15.9% | Only Qwen3.6 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 13 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAGE (Vals AI) | 45.6% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| IFBench | 67.6% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 77.3% | Not measured | Only Qwen3.6 27B measured |
| DTBench | 78.1% | 77.1% | Qwen3.6 27B |
| LMCA | 34.5% | 31.0% | Qwen3.6 27B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 41 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash | 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
Qwen3.6 Flash costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Qwen3.6 Flash costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Qwen3.6 Flash 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 | Qwen3.6 27B | Qwen3.6 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qwen | Qwen |
| Weights | Open weights | No public weights listed |
| Released | April 27, 2026 | April 27, 2026 |
| Context window | 262K | 1M |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.45 | $0.1875 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.70 | $1.125 |
| Coding index | 36.8 | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 2 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | $1.30 | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Qwen3.6 27B better than Qwen3.6 Flash for coding?
Only Qwen3.6 27B has a coding score, 36.8 on the Vibe Coding Index; Qwen3.6 Flash has none, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Qwen3.6 Flash for output tokens 2.4x cheaper ($1.125 vs $2.70 per million) and a larger context window (1M against 262K tokens).
Which is cheaper, Qwen3.6 27B or Qwen3.6 Flash?
Qwen3.6 27B costs $0.45 per million input tokens and $2.70 per million output tokens; Qwen3.6 Flash costs $0.1875 and $1.125. Cost per solved task is known for Qwen3.6 27B only.
Which has the bigger context window, Qwen3.6 27B or Qwen3.6 Flash?
Qwen3.6 Flash, with 1M tokens against 262K.
How many benchmarks is the Qwen3.6 27B vs Qwen3.6 Flash comparison based on?
7 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Qwen3.6 27B's coding index rests on 2 independent benchmarks and Qwen3.6 Flash's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.