High-volume, cost-sensitive work
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo
GPT-3.5 Turbo costs 3% less on a typical mix of three input tokens for every output token ($0.75 against $0.78 per million tokens).
GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Qwen3.8 27B: price, context and capabilities
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo for high-volume, cost-sensitive work and writing and code generation. Choose Qwen3.8 27B for very long inputs, images as input and the latest release.
In short
- GPT-3.5 Turbo is 3% cheaper than Qwen3.8 27B at the headline price ($0.75 / 1M tokens vs $0.775 / 1M tokens).
- Qwen3.8 27B reads more per request: 1M tokens against 16k.
- Qwen3.8 27B is the newer model (Aug 14, 2026, against March 2023).
- Only GPT-3.5 Turbo offers batch api.
- Only Qwen3.8 27B offers vision, reasoning, prompt caching.
Which should you choose?
Each answer below comes straight from the published prices, specifications and independent benchmark results.
Writing and code generation
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo
GPT-3.5 Turbo charges $1.50 per million output tokens, against $2.50 for Qwen3.8 27B. Output dominates the bill when answers are long.
Very long inputs
Choose Qwen3.8 27B
Qwen3.8 27B reads up to 1M tokens per request, against 16k for GPT-3.5 Turbo.
Images as input
Choose Qwen3.8 27B
Qwen3.8 27B accepts images as input; GPT-3.5 Turbo does not.
Latest release
Choose Qwen3.8 27B
Qwen3.8 27B is the newer release (Aug 14, 2026, against March 2023 for GPT-3.5 Turbo).
Monthly cost at three volumes
| Volume | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Qwen3.8 27B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype: 1M input, 250K output tokens | $0.88 | $0.83 | Qwen3.8 27B, $0.05 less |
| Production: 20M input, 5M output tokens | $17.50 | $16.50 | Qwen3.8 27B, $1.00 less |
| Scale: 500M input, 100M output tokens | $400.00 | $350.00 | Qwen3.8 27B, $50.00 less |
Standard rates, without caching or batch discounts. Volumes are per month.
Specifications side by side
| GPT-3.5 Turbo | Qwen3.8 27B | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Alibaba Cloud (Qwen) |
| Category | Language models | Language models |
| Status | Deprecated | Generally available |
| Headline price | $0.75 / 1M tokens | $0.775 / 1M tokens |
| Input | $0.50 / 1M tokens | $0.20 / 1M tokens |
| Output | $1.50 / 1M tokens | $2.50 / 1M tokens |
| Cached input | No data | $0.09 / 1M tokens |
| Context window | 16k | 1M |
| Max output | 4k | 236k |
| Released | March 2023 | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | September 2021 | No data |
| Licence | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Capabilities | Tool calling, Structured output, Batch API | Vision, Reasoning, Tool calling, Structured output, Prompt caching |
| API model id | gpt-3.5-turbo | qwen3.8-27b |
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose GPT-3.5 Turbo or Qwen3.8 27B?
Choose GPT-3.5 Turbo for high-volume, cost-sensitive work and writing and code generation. Choose Qwen3.8 27B for very long inputs, images as input and the latest release.
Which is cheaper, GPT-3.5 Turbo or Qwen3.8 27B?
GPT-3.5 Turbo is 3% cheaper than Qwen3.8 27B at the headline price ($0.75 / 1M tokens vs $0.775 / 1M tokens).
Which has the larger context window, GPT-3.5 Turbo or Qwen3.8 27B?
Qwen3.8 27B reads more per request: 1M tokens against 16k.
What is the difference between GPT-3.5 Turbo and Qwen3.8 27B?
GPT-3.5 Turbo is made by OpenAI and Qwen3.8 27B by Alibaba Cloud (Qwen). GPT-3.5 Turbo is 3% cheaper than Qwen3.8 27B at the headline price ($0.75 / 1M tokens vs $0.775 / 1M tokens). Qwen3.8 27B reads more per request: 1M tokens against 16k. Qwen3.8 27B is the newer model (Aug 14, 2026, against March 2023). Only GPT-3.5 Turbo offers batch api. Only Qwen3.8 27B offers vision, reasoning, prompt caching.
How much do GPT-3.5 Turbo and Qwen3.8 27B cost per month?
At 20 million input and 5 million output tokens a month, GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $17.50 and Qwen3.8 27B costs $16.50, at standard rates.
Which is newer, GPT-3.5 Turbo or Qwen3.8 27B?
Qwen3.8 27B was released on Aug 14, 2026 and GPT-3.5 Turbo on March 2023.