Alternatives

# Best Qwen Alternatives for Coding in October 2026

> The strongest alternative to Qwen for coding as of October 2026 is Claude Fable 5.1 from Anthropic: 21.2 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 6.7× pricier. Compared against Qwen3.8 Max, Qwen's current top model.
- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen/coding
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Title: Best Qwen Alternatives for Coding (October 2026) | Noometry

The strongest alternative to Qwen for coding as of October 2026 is Claude Fable 5.1 from Anthropic: 21.2 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 6.7× pricier. Compared against Qwen3.8 Max, Qwen's current top model.

Last verified October 10, 2026

1.  ## [Claude Fable 5.1](https://noometry.com/models/claude-fable-5-1) Anthropic
    
    21.2 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 6.7× pricier.
    
    Score 74.7, $20 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/claude-fable-5-1-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
2.  ## [GPT-6 Astra](https://noometry.com/models/gpt-6-astra) OpenAI
    
    20.2 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 6.7× pricier.
    
    Score 73.7, $20 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-6-astra-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
3.  ## [Gemini 4 Argon](https://noometry.com/models/gemini-4-argon) Google
    
    8.5 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max.
    
    Score 62.0, no API price.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/gemini-4-argon-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
4.  ## [Kimi K3](https://noometry.com/models/kimi-k3) Moonshot AI
    
    7.5 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 2.0× pricier; open weights.
    
    Score 61.0, $6 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/kimi-k3-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
5.  ## [GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/models/glm-5-3) Z.ai (Zhipu)
    
    6.0 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 1.4× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 59.5, $2.15 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
6.  ## [Grok 4.6](https://noometry.com/models/grok-4-6) xAI
    
    5.0 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, same price.
    
    Score 58.5, $3 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/grok-4-6-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
7.  ## [Muse Spark 1.3](https://noometry.com/models/muse-spark-1-3) Meta
    
    3.1 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 1.5× cheaper per token.
    
    Score 56.6, $2 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/muse-spark-1-3-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
8.  ## [MiMo-V2.6-Pro](https://noometry.com/models/mimo-v2-6-pro) Xiaomi
    
    2.0 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 5.5× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 55.5, $0.54 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/mimo-v2-6-pro-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    

More: [All alternatives](https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen), [Open-source](https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen/open-source), [Cheaper](https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen/cheaper)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best alternative to Qwen for coding?

The strongest alternative to Qwen for coding as of October 2026 is Claude Fable 5.1 from Anthropic: 21.2 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 6.7× pricier. Compared against Qwen3.8 Max, Qwen's current top model.

### How were these alternatives chosen?

Each is the highest-ranked model from a different provider, compared on the Noometry coding score against Qwen3.8 Max.