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Model comparison · Updated 10 Oct 2026

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) vs Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) and Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct cost the same on input, $0.07 per 1M tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) has the larger context window (1M against 262K tokens). For a support chatbot at 10,000 chats a day, the standard-tier bill is about $49.50 a month for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) and $56.70 for Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct.

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ModelsAtlas. “Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) vs Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct”. Retrieved 10 Oct 2026. https://modelsatlas.com/compare/nvidia/nemotron-3-5-lightning/vs/qwen/3-coder-30b-a3b-instruct

Model A

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)

by NVIDIA · weights not marked open · GRIDB5

Input / 1M
$0.07
observed We measured
Source
Our catalogue
Retrieved
10 Oct 2026
Output / 1M$0.20
Context1M
vs

Model B

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct

by Qwen (Alibaba) · weights not marked open · GRIDB4

Input / 1M
$0.07
observed We measured
Source
Our catalogue
Retrieved
17 Aug 2026
Output / 1M$0.28
Context262K

Key numbers

Standard tier · highlighted = better

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)
Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
Input / 1M tokens
$0.07
$0.07
Output / 1M tokens
$0.20
$0.28
Batch input / output
Not listed
Not listed
Context window
1,000,000
262,144
Input types
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Weights
Not marked open
Not marked open
Tiers listed
free, standard
standard
Prices checked
2026-10-10
2026-08-17

What it costs for real workloads

Monthly, standard tier, 30 days

Support chatbot10k chats/day · 1.5k in, 300 out
$49.50/mo
$56.70/mo
RAG over documents2k queries/day · 12k in, 500 out
$56.40/mo
$58.80/mo
Coding agent300 tasks/day · 60k in, 8k out
$52.20/mo
$57.96/mo

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)   Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct · Derived from the standard-tier prices above, input and output tokens per request as stated, 30 days. Excludes caching discounts and batch. Try your own numbers.

On the atlas

Price band (A–H) × context band (1–6)

1 square apart. Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct (B4) sits 1 context band smaller than Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) (B5).

Same square as Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free): Qwen3.7 Flash ($0.03), Qwen3.5-Flash ($0.07), DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 ($0.08). Same square as Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct: Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B ($0.06), Gemma 4 26B A4B ($0.07), Nemotron 3 Super ($0.08). Open B5 · Open B4

AFreeB<$0.10C$0.10–0.30D$0.30–1E$1–3F$3–10G$10–30H$30+1<32K232–128K3128–256K4256K–1M51M6>1MINPUT PRICE PER 1M TOKENS →CONTEXT WINDOW ↑ · position within a square follows the real valueQwen3.5-Flash · B5DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · B5Qwen3.7 Flash · B5Gemma 4 26B A4B · B4Nemotron 3 Super · B4Qwen3.5-35B-A3B · B4Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B · B4Gemma 4 31B · B4Qwen3 235B A22B Instruct 2507 · B4Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B InstructQwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B InstructNearest neighboursOpen weights
View the map as a table (2 squares)
SquarePrice bandContext bandModels
GRIDB4<$0.10256K–1MQwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct, Gemma 4 26B A4B, Nemotron 3 Super, Qwen3.5-35B-A3B, Nemotron 3 Nano 30B A3B, Gemma 4 31B, Qwen3 235B A22B Instruct 2507
GRIDB5<$0.101MNemotron 3.5 Lightning (free), Qwen3.5-Flash, DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731, Qwen3.7 Flash

Capabilities side by side

Only what our records list

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)
Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct
Vision input
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Audio input
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Open weights
Not marked open
Not marked open
Batch tier
Not listed
Not listed
Free tier
Supported
Not listed
Thinking tier
Not listed
Not listed

Neither record lists input types, so we do not claim any.

Which should you choose?

Editorial

Choose Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) if…

  • output dominates your bill: $0.20 per 1M output against $0.28
  • your prompts are long: it takes 1,000,000 tokens against 262,144
  • you want to try it free: it lists a free tier

Choose Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct if…

Nothing in the recorded numbers favours Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct over Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free). Pick it for what our records do not cover — your own tests, or an account you already have with Qwen (Alibaba).

Each reason is a fact from the tables above. Picking between them is our judgement, and we do not benchmark quality: price and context are what we can measure, so test both on your own prompts before you commit.

Questions

Is Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) better than Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct?
We do not benchmark quality, so we cannot say. On the recorded numbers: Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) and Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct cost the same on input, $0.07 per 1M tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) has the larger context window (1M against 262K tokens). For a support chatbot at 10,000 chats a day, the standard-tier bill is about $49.50 a month for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) and $56.70 for Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct. Which is better for you depends on your task; test both on your own prompts.
Which is cheaper, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) or Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct?
They cost the same on input, $0.07 per 1M tokens. Output is $0.20 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) and $0.28 for Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct.
How much does each cost per 1M tokens?
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free): $0.07 input and $0.20 output. Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct: $0.07 input and $0.28 output. Standard tier, USD.
Which has the larger context window?
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free), with 1,000,000 tokens. Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct has 262,144 tokens.
Do both offer batch pricing?
Neither lists a batch tier in our catalogue.
Can both read images or audio?
Input types recorded for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free): none recorded. For Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct: none recorded. Where a record lists none we say so rather than guess; check each vendor's documentation before relying on a capability.
Is either model open-weight?
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free): not marked open-weight in our records. Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct: not marked open-weight in our records.
Is either model free?
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) is listed at no per-token charge; Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct is not. Read the provider's limits before relying on a free offer.
What would each cost for a support chatbot?
At 10,000 chats a day, 1,500 input and 300 output tokens each, 30 days, standard tier: about $49.50 a month for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) and $56.70 for Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct. This is our calculation from the listed prices, not a quote.

About the two models

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free)

By NVIDIA. $0.07 input and $0.20 output per 1M tokens, 1M context, atlas square B5. Tiers listed: free, standard.

Full specs & pricing →

Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct

By Qwen (Alibaba). $0.07 input and $0.28 output per 1M tokens, 262K context, atlas square B4. Tiers listed: standard.

Full specs & pricing →

Compare Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) with…

Compare Qwen3 Coder 30B A3B Instruct with…

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