GPT-4.1 vs Qwen3-72B
A complete head-to-head: pricing, context window, benchmarks, modality coverage, and openness, with a programmatic verdict synthesized from the underlying data.
Updated
GPT-4.1 specs · Qwen3-72B specs- PriceGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 publishes pricing ($8.00 / 1M output tokens) while Qwen3-72B does not.
- Context windowGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K, 7.8× the room for long documents and codebases.
- BenchmarksGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 86.2 vs 84.0.
- ModalitiesGPT-4.1
GPT-4.1 supports 2 modalities (text, vision) vs 1 for Qwen3-72B.
- OpennessQwen3-72B
Qwen3-72B ships open weights (Apache-2.0); GPT-4.1 is API-only.
On balance GPT-4.1 edges ahead, winning 4 of 5 categories against Qwen3-72B's 1. GPT-4.1 publishes pricing ($8.00 / 1M output tokens) while Qwen3-72B does not. GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K, 7.8× the room for long documents and codebases.
GPT-4.1 leads in 1 of 1 shared benchmarks; the biggest gap is on MMLU (broad academic knowledge), where it scores 86.2 vs 84.0. They differ in modality coverage, GPT-4.1 handles text, vision while Qwen3-72B handles text, which can be the deciding factor before you even look at benchmarks. Qwen3-72B ships open weights (Apache-2.0); GPT-4.1 is API-only.
Both shipped within roughly a month of each other in 2025, so they share the same generation of training data and tooling. GPT-4.1 is usually picked for long context and rag workloads, while Qwen3-72B sees more deployments in open source llm and commercial use llm. If pricing matters more than every last benchmark point, run the numbers in the calculator below before committing.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | GPT-4.1 | Qwen3-72B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba |
| Released | Apr 2025 | Apr 2025 |
| Modalities | text, vision | text |
| Context window | 1M tokens | 128K tokens |
| Max output | 32.8K tokens | , |
| Input · 1M | $2.00 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Output · 1M | $8.00 / 1M tokens | Pricing not published |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-06 | , |
| Open weights | No | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
Pricing at scale
What you'd actually pay at typical workloads. Numbers come from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day$18.00 vs ,
- Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day$180 vs ,
- RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day$348 vs ,
Light usage, 100k in / 50k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). Heavy usage, 1M in / 500k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates). RAG workload, 5M in / 200k out per day: pricing not directly comparable (one or both models are missing public per-token rates).
Estimated spend for the listed models at your usage. Numbers are derived from each model's published per-million-token rates.
- GPT-4.1$0.600
- Qwen3-72BPricing unavailable
Benchmarks compared
Only sourced numbers. Where a benchmark is missing for one model we show the available value rather than fabricating the other.
- MMLU86.284.0
- HumanEval90.6
GPT-4.1 fits when…
- 1M-token context window, strong for long-doc workloads
- Mature SDK and tooling integrations
- Reliable JSON-mode and function-calling
- Long-context tasks, handles 1M tokens vs 128K for Qwen3-72B.
- Multimodal needs covering vision.
Qwen3-72B fits when…
- Apache-2.0 license
- Strongest open-weight on Chinese
- Strong multilingual coverage
- Self-hosting and on-prem requirements, open weights (Apache-2.0).
Consider GPT-5.5
OpenAI's mid-cycle GPT-5 refresh, improved reasoning, tool use, and multimodal grounding over the 2025 launch.
Frequently asked
Is GPT-4.1 or Qwen3-72B cheaper?
Per-token pricing isn't published for at least one of these models, check each model's spec page for current rates.Which has the larger context window?
GPT-4.1 accepts 1M tokens vs 128K for Qwen3-72B.Is GPT-4.1 or Qwen3-72B better for coding?
Both GPT-4.1 and Qwen3-72B are competitive on coding benchmarks. See each model's individual spec page for HumanEval and SWE-bench scores where published. For an opinionated pick, consult our Best LLM for Coding ranking.Are either of these models open source?
Qwen3-72B ships open weights (Apache-2.0). GPT-4.1 is API-only.When were GPT-4.1 and Qwen3-72B released?
GPT-4.1 was released by OpenAI on 2025-04-14. Qwen3-72B was released by Alibaba on 2025-04-29.
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