LongCat-2.5 vs Qwen 3.8-Max
Meituan · China | Alibaba · China · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick LongCat-2.5 for native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token or limited-time api price of $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens (cached input $0.006). Pick Qwen 3.8-Max for near-frontier quality at value pricing — artificial analysis intelligence index 58 or large 1m-token context with multimodal input (text, image, video). On a tight budget at scale, LongCat-2.5 is the value pick.
LongCat-2.5 (Meituan) and Qwen 3.8-Max (Alibaba) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. LongCat-2.5 is meituan's November 2, 2026 natively multimodal successor to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T parameters and 1M context at $0.30/$1.20, with open weights planned but undated. Qwen 3.8-Max is alibaba's flagship mixture-of-experts model — near-frontier on independent tests (AA Index 58) at a fraction of US-flagship pricing, with open weights promised but not yet shipped. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Price: LongCat-2.5 is about 6.7× cheaper on input ($0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens vs $2/$6 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
- ▸Context window: 1M tokens vs 1M — within a few percent of each other, so treat this as a tie and test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
- ▸Recency: LongCat-2.5 is the newer model by about 3 months (released November 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | LongCat-2.5 | Qwen 3.8-Max |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Meituan (China) | Alibaba (China) |
| Released | November 2, 2026 | August 3, 2026 |
| Context window | 1M tokens (~1,500 pages) | 1M (~1,573 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens | $2/$6 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | No — API only | No — API only |
| Modalities | text, image, code | text, image, video, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Native multimodal upgrade to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T total parameters, about 48B active per token
LongCat-2.5
Qwen 3.8-Max is comparatively weak here — active-parameter count is not officially disclosed by Alibaba
Limited-time API price of $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens (cached input $0.006)
LongCat-2.5
At $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens it undercuts Qwen 3.8-Max ($2/$6 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Meituan-reported Terminal-Bench v2.1 of 88.4, up from 70.8 for LongCat-2.0
LongCat-2.5
Qwen 3.8-Max is comparatively weak here — flashier coding/agentic benchmarks (e.g. Terminal-Bench 86.6) are Alibaba's own, not independently reproduced
Near-frontier quality at value pricing — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 58
Qwen 3.8-Max
Qwen 3.8-Max lists near-frontier quality at value pricing — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 58 among its strengths; LongCat-2.5 does not.
Large 1M-token context with multimodal input (text, image, video)
Qwen 3.8-Max
Qwen 3.8-Max lists large 1M-token context with multimodal input (text, image, video) among its strengths; LongCat-2.5 does not.
Mixture-of-experts design: ~2.4T total parameters (Alibaba-reported), a fraction active per token
Qwen 3.8-Max
Qwen 3.8-Max lists mixture-of-experts design: ~2.4T total parameters (Alibaba-reported), a fraction active per token among its strengths; LongCat-2.5 does not.
Lowest cost at scale
LongCat-2.5
At $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ LongCat-2.5
At $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens it undercuts Qwen 3.8-Max, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Qwen 3.8-Max
Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token
→ LongCat-2.5
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is near-frontier quality at value pricing — artificial analysis intelligence index 58
→ Qwen 3.8-Max
That is its strongest area.
LongCat-2.5: where it fits
Meituan's November 2, 2026 natively multimodal successor to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T parameters and 1M context at $0.30/$1.20, with open weights planned but undated. Released November 2, 2026 by Meituan, it is built for native multimodal upgrade to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T total parameters, about 48B active per token, limited-time API price of $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens (cached input $0.006), meituan-reported Terminal-Bench v2.1 of 88.4, up from 70.8 for LongCat-2.0, and openAI- and Anthropic-compatible API endpoints with a 1M-token context window.
Its trade-offs are real: aPI-only for now - GitHub and Hugging Face releases are planned but undated, and the license is unconfirmed (LongCat-2.0 is MIT), the $0.30/$1.20 rate is labeled limited-time, and Meituan says prices are subject to change, and benchmarks are Meituan's own, and sources found no independent score at launch. At $0.3 in / $1.2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
Qwen 3.8-Max: where it fits
Alibaba's flagship mixture-of-experts model — near-frontier on independent tests (AA Index 58) at a fraction of US-flagship pricing, with open weights promised but not yet shipped. Released August 3, 2026 by Alibaba, it is built for near-frontier quality at value pricing — Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 58, large 1M-token context with multimodal input (text, image, video), mixture-of-experts design: ~2.4T total parameters (Alibaba-reported), a fraction active per token, and $2/$6 per million tokens — far below US flagships like Claude Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol.
Its trade-offs: open weights were announced for release but had not shipped as of mid-August 2026 — a closed API for now, active-parameter count is not officially disclosed by Alibaba, flashier coding/agentic benchmarks (e.g. Terminal-Bench 86.6) are Alibaba's own, not independently reproduced, and trails the very top models (Opus 5, Fable 5, GPT-5.6 Sol) on independent tests. At $2 in / $6 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
LongCat-2.5 and Qwen 3.8-Max overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. LongCat-2.5 costs less per token; Qwen 3.8-Max holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — LongCat-2.5 for native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token, Qwen 3.8-Max for near-frontier quality at value pricing — artificial analysis intelligence index 58. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both LongCat-2.5 and Qwen 3.8-Max without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is LongCat-2.5 or Qwen 3.8-Max better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, LongCat-2.5 leans toward native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token while Qwen 3.8-Max leans toward near-frontier quality at value pricing — artificial analysis intelligence index 58, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, LongCat-2.5 or Qwen 3.8-Max?
LongCat-2.5 is cheaper — $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens vs $2/$6 per 1M tokens, roughly 6.7× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Effectively neither — 1M tokens vs 1M is a difference of a few percent. Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both LongCat-2.5 and Qwen 3.8-Max together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you LongCat-2.5, Qwen 3.8-Max and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, LongCat-2.5 or Qwen 3.8-Max?
LongCat-2.5 — released November 2, 2026, about 3 months after Qwen 3.8-Max.
Related comparisons
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.