Nanbeige4.3-33B vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B
Nanbeige LLM Lab (BOSS Zhipin) · China | Alibaba · China · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Nanbeige4.3-33B for 33b dense open-weight model under apache 2.0 with a 524,288-token context or artificial analysis intelligence index of 20, first of the 8 models in its comparison class. Pick Qwen3.6 35B A3B for extreme sparsity — only 3b of 35b parameters active per token, giving near-3b inference cost or runs at roughly 120 tokens per second on a single 24gb consumer gpu.
Nanbeige4.3-33B (Nanbeige LLM Lab (BOSS Zhipin)) and Qwen3.6 35B A3B (Alibaba) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Nanbeige4.3-33B is nanbeige LLM Lab's October 25, 2026 Apache 2.0 open model - 33B parameters and 512K context, aimed at agentic coding on modest hardware. Qwen3.6 35B A3B is a sparse 35B mixture-of-experts running on 3B active parameters — strong agentic coding at near-3B cost on consumer hardware. Their biggest split is context window, and the breakdown below shows exactly how that plays out for your workload.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Context window: Nanbeige4.3-33B holds 2× more — 512K tokens (~786 pages) vs 256K (~393 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
- ▸Recency: Nanbeige4.3-33B is the newer model by about 6 months (released October 25, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Nanbeige4.3-33B | Qwen3.6 35B A3B |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Nanbeige LLM Lab (BOSS Zhipin) (China) | Alibaba (China) |
| Released | October 25, 2026 | April 16, 2026 |
| Context window | 512K tokens (~786 pages) | 256K (~393 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | Open weight (self-host / free) | Open weight (self-host / free) |
| Open weight? | Yes — self-hostable | Yes — self-hostable |
| Modalities | text, code | text, image, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | 73.4% |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
33B dense open-weight model under Apache 2.0 with a 524,288-token context
Nanbeige4.3-33B
Its 512K tokens window holds about 2× more than Qwen3.6 35B A3B's 256K in a single prompt.
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index of 20, first of the 8 models in its comparison class
Nanbeige4.3-33B
Nanbeige LLM Lab's October 25, 2026 Apache 2.0 open model - 33B parameters and 512K context, aimed at agentic coding on modest hardware — and it carries the larger 512K tokens context.
Lab-reported Terminal-Bench 2.1 of 80.9 and DeepSWE of 65.5
Nanbeige4.3-33B
Qwen3.6 35B A3B is comparatively weak here — loses to its smaller dense sibling Qwen3.6 27B on every coding benchmark, despite more total parameters
Extreme sparsity — only 3B of 35B parameters active per token, giving near-3B inference cost
Qwen3.6 35B A3B
Nanbeige4.3-33B is comparatively weak here — no public first-party API or per-token price; Artificial Analysis lists no publicly available API
Runs at roughly 120 tokens per second on a single 24GB consumer GPU
Qwen3.6 35B A3B
Qwen3.6 35B A3B lists runs at roughly 120 tokens per second on a single 24GB consumer GPU among its strengths; Nanbeige4.3-33B does not.
Apache 2.0 weights with a 256K native context, extensible to about 1M via YaRN
Qwen3.6 35B A3B
Qwen3.6 35B A3B lists apache 2.0 weights with a 256K native context, extensible to about 1M via YaRN among its strengths; Nanbeige4.3-33B does not.
Largest single-prompt input
Nanbeige4.3-33B
Its 512K tokens window is about 2× larger than Qwen3.6 35B A3B's 256K, fitting roughly 786 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Nanbeige4.3-33B
Larger 512K tokens window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is 33b dense open-weight model under apache 2.0 with a 524,288-token context
→ Nanbeige4.3-33B
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is extreme sparsity — only 3b of 35b parameters active per token, giving near-3b inference cost
→ Qwen3.6 35B A3B
That is its strongest area.
Nanbeige4.3-33B: where it fits
Nanbeige LLM Lab's October 25, 2026 Apache 2.0 open model - 33B parameters and 512K context, aimed at agentic coding on modest hardware. Released October 25, 2026 by Nanbeige LLM Lab (BOSS Zhipin), it is built for 33B dense open-weight model under Apache 2.0 with a 524,288-token context, artificial Analysis Intelligence Index of 20, first of the 8 models in its comparison class, and lab-reported Terminal-Bench 2.1 of 80.9 and DeepSWE of 65.5.
Its trade-offs are real: coding benchmarks are self-reported, with non-standard settings noted on the model card and no independent reproduction, no public first-party API or per-token price; Artificial Analysis lists no publicly available API, and text-only input. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
Qwen3.6 35B A3B: where it fits
A sparse 35B mixture-of-experts running on 3B active parameters — strong agentic coding at near-3B cost on consumer hardware. Released April 16, 2026 by Alibaba, it is built for extreme sparsity — only 3B of 35B parameters active per token, giving near-3B inference cost, runs at roughly 120 tokens per second on a single 24GB consumer GPU, apache 2.0 weights with a 256K native context, extensible to about 1M via YaRN, and preserves its reasoning across turns, which cuts the overhead of agentic loops.
Its trade-offs: loses to its smaller dense sibling Qwen3.6 27B on every coding benchmark, despite more total parameters, its SWE-Bench score comes from Alibaba's internal scaffold rather than the standard public harness, and all 35B parameters must stay resident in VRAM even though only 3B compute per token. As an open-weight model, its running cost is your own hardware rather than a per-token fee.
The bottom line for this matchup
Nanbeige4.3-33B and Qwen3.6 35B A3B overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Nanbeige4.3-33B holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Nanbeige4.3-33B for 33b dense open-weight model under apache 2.0 with a 524,288-token context, Qwen3.6 35B A3B for extreme sparsity — only 3b of 35b parameters active per token, giving near-3b inference cost. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Nanbeige4.3-33B and Qwen3.6 35B A3B 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 Nanbeige4.3-33B or Qwen3.6 35B A3B better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for Nanbeige4.3-33B, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Nanbeige4.3-33B leans toward 33b dense open-weight model under apache 2.0 with a 524,288-token context while Qwen3.6 35B A3B leans toward extreme sparsity — only 3b of 35b parameters active per token, giving near-3b inference cost, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Nanbeige4.3-33B or Qwen3.6 35B A3B?
They are priced almost identically, so cost will not decide between them.
Which has the bigger context window?
Nanbeige4.3-33B — 512K tokens vs 256K, about 2× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Nanbeige4.3-33B and Qwen3.6 35B A3B together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Nanbeige4.3-33B, Qwen3.6 35B A3B 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, Nanbeige4.3-33B or Qwen3.6 35B A3B?
Nanbeige4.3-33B — released October 25, 2026, about 6 months after Qwen3.6 35B A3B.
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.