Model comparison
MAI-Thinking-1 vs Qwen3 235B 2507
Head-to-head evidence from 2 shared benchmark results across 1 category. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: MAI-Thinking-1 unranked (Not scored); Qwen3 235B 2507 #78 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. MAI-Thinking-1 and Qwen3 235B 2507 share 2 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 11 results are unique to MAI-Thinking-1; 2 to Qwen3 235B 2507.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 2
- MAI-Thinking-1 only
- 11
- Qwen3 235B 2507 only
- 2
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. MAI-Thinking-1 makes more sense if you need the larger 256K context window or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile; Qwen3 235B 2507 is the better fit if knowledge is the priority or you would rather avoid the extra latency and token burn of a reasoning model.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 2 shared benchmark results across 1 evidence category; 1 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
MAI-Thinking-1 and Qwen3 235B 2507 finish on the same BenchAlign overall score, so this is less about a single winner and more about where the edge shows up. The BenchAlign headline says tie; the benchmark table is where the real choice happens.
MAI-Thinking-1 is the reasoning model in the pair, while Qwen3 235B 2507 is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. MAI-Thinking-1 gives you the larger context window at 256K, compared with 128K for Qwen3 235B 2507.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | MAI-Thinking-1 | Δ | Qwen3 235B 2507 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | MAI-Thinking-172.5 | Margin→ 6.4 | Qwen3 235B 250778.9 |
| Agentic | MAI-Thinking-146.0 | MarginNo overlap | Qwen3 235B 2507Not measured |
| Coding | MAI-Thinking-165.5 | MarginNo overlap | Qwen3 235B 2507Not measured |
| Math | MAI-Thinking-189.7 | MarginNo overlap | Qwen3 235B 2507Not measured |
| Multilingual | MAI-Thinking-1Not measured | MarginNo overlap | Qwen3 235B 250779.4 |
| Inst. Following | MAI-Thinking-185.0 | MarginNo overlap | Qwen3 235B 2507Not measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 84.2%B 77.5%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 6.7GPQA: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 84.2%; Qwen3 235B 2507 scored 77.5%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 85%B 83%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 2MMLU-Pro: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 85%; Qwen3 235B 2507 scored 83%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | MAI-Thinking-1 | Qwen3 235B 2507 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | Qwen3 235B 2507$0 input / $0 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | Qwen3 235B 2507Not available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | Qwen3 235B 2507Not available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | MAI-Thinking-1256K | Qwen3 235B 2507128K | MAI-Thinking-1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | MAI-Thinking-1 | Qwen3 235B 2507 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 46% | — | Not comparable |
Coding3 benchmarks
Reasoning1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | MAI-Thinking-1 | Qwen3 235B 2507 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphwalks BFS 128KSource | 90% | — | Not comparable |
KnowledgeQwen3 235B 2507 wins5 benchmarks
Math3 benchmarks
Multilingual1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | MAI-Thinking-1 | Qwen3 235B 2507 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU-ProXSource | — | 79.4% | Not comparable |
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | MAI-Thinking-1 | Qwen3 235B 2507 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBenchSource | 85% | — | Not comparable |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, MAI-Thinking-1 or Qwen3 235B 2507?
MAI-Thinking-1 and Qwen3 235B 2507 are tied on the BenchAlign overall score, so the right pick depends on which category matters most for your use case.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, MAI-Thinking-1 or Qwen3 235B 2507?
Qwen3 235B 2507 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 78.9 versus 72.5. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Related Comparisons
Choose a model with this week’s evidence
Join 2,000+ readers for ranking moves, pricing changes, and the claims that still need proof.
One email each week. Unsubscribe anytime.