GPT-5.2 Codex vs Qwen3.6 Plus
Wins 5 of 8 areas
Agents · Reasoning · Math · Long documents · Following instructions
Wins 1 of 8 areas
Images and charts
GPT-5.2 Codex is the stronger all-rounder.Qwen3.6 Plus is cheaper and better at images and charts.
Scores updated · 28 tests both models report · How we compare
Where each one wins
Tests won in each of the eight areas we test. Each piece is one test, so a longer bar means more evidence; grey means the two scored within a point of each other.
- ReasoningHard problems that need careful thinking40GPT-5.2 Codex4 of 4 tests
- Following instructionsDoing exactly what it is asked20GPT-5.2 Codex2 of 2 tests
- AgentsCarrying out multi-step tasks on its own10GPT-5.2 Codex1 of 1 test
- MathCompetition and research-level math10GPT-5.2 Codex1 of 1 test
- Long documentsFinding answers in very long texts10GPT-5.2 Codex1 of 1 test
- Images and chartsUnderstanding pictures, charts and video01Qwen3.6 Plus1 of 1 test
- CodingWriting and fixing software33Even3 each · 1 tie
- FactsGetting facts right instead of making them up11Even1 each
Agents, images and charts, math and long documents rest on a single test each.
What it costs
Prices per million tokens, roughly 750,000 words. The bars show the cost of a million tokens read plus a million written.
Qwen3.6 Plus costs 78% less for the same work.
The biggest differences
The three tests each model wins by the widest margin. Scores are out of 100.
Where GPT-5.2 Codex pulls ahead
- Real work tasks from 44 professionsGDPVal+14.7points ahead
- Answers hard knowledge questions correctlyAA-Omniscience · Accuracy+14.7points ahead
- Code for real scientific research problemsSciCode+13.9points ahead
Where Qwen3.6 Plus pulls ahead
- Avoids making up answers it doesn't knowAA-Omniscience · Non-hallucination+38.8points ahead
- Hard command-line tasks in a real terminalTerminal-Bench Hard+6.8points ahead
- Fixes real GitHub issues in Python projectsSWE-bench Verified+6points ahead
Every test, side by side
All 28 tests both models report. The winning score is in its model's colour; marks a score checked independently.
CodingEven
- SciCodeGPT-5.2 Codex by 13.954.640.7+13.9
- LMArena · WebDevQwen3.6 Plus by 122 rating points13391461+122 rating
- LiveBench · Agentic CodingGPT-5.2 Codex by 849.441.4+8
- Terminal-Bench HardQwen3.6 Plus by 6.837.143.9+6.8
- SWE-bench VerifiedQwen3.6 Plus by 672.878.8+6
- LiveBench · CodingGPT-5.2 Codex by 5.483.678.2+5.4
- SWE-bench Protie56.456.6tie
ReasoningGPT-5.2 Codex
- Humanity's Last ExamGPT-5.2 Codex by 7.935.727.8+7.9
- CritPtGPT-5.2 Codex by 5.88.72.9+5.8
- LiveBench · ReasoningGPT-5.2 Codex by 1.977.775.8+1.9
- GPQA DiamondGPT-5.2 Codex by 1.789.988.2+1.7
FactsEven
- AA-Omniscience · Non-hallucinationQwen3.6 Plus by 38.826.665.4+38.8
- AA-Omniscience · AccuracyGPT-5.2 Codex by 14.741.126.4+14.7
Following instructionsGPT-5.2 Codex
- LiveBench · Instruction FollowingGPT-5.2 Codex by 8.266.558.3+8.2
- IFBenchGPT-5.2 Codex by 2.477.675.2+2.4
Other results9 tests, not counted
Tests outside the eight areas. They are not counted above: several are summary scores built from other tests, or the same test under another name.
- AA Agentic IndexGPT-5.2 Codex by 27.556.529+27.5
- Artificial Analysis Coding IndexQwen3.6 Plus by 11.54354.5+11.5
- livebench_data_analysisGPT-5.2 Codex by 8.378.269.9+8.3
- τ²-Bench Telecom (AA run)Qwen3.6 Plus by 5.692.197.7+5.6
- LiveBenchGPT-5.2 Codex by 3.474.370.8+3.4
- AA-OmniscienceQwen3.6 Plus by 3.1-2.20.9+3.1
- Terminal-Bench 2.0GPT-5.2 Codex by 2.46461.6+2.4
- AA IntelligenceGPT-5.2 Codex by 1.528.527+1.5
- livebench_languageQwen3.6 Plus by 1.373.775+1.3
Questions people ask
Which is better, GPT-5.2 Codex or Qwen3.6 Plus?
GPT-5.2 Codex wins five of the eight areas we test: agents, reasoning, math, long documents and following instructions. Qwen3.6 Plus wins images and charts, and costs 78% less. They are level on coding and facts.
Which is better for coding?
Neither. They win 3 coding tests each of the 7 both models report, and 1 is a tie.
Which is cheaper?
GPT-5.2 Codex costs $1.75 per million input tokens and $14.00 per million output tokens; Qwen3.6 Plus costs $0.50 and $3.00. That makes Qwen3.6 Plus about 78% cheaper for the same work.
How do you compare the two?
We use the 28 benchmark tests both models have published scores on. The verdict counts the 19 tests in the eight capability areas, and a gap under one point (ten on rating-style scales) counts as a tie. The other 9 are listed but not counted, because several are summary scores or repeat a test. Each score is the one shown on the model's own page.