Best AI for coding / head-to-head

GPT-5.5 vs Qwen3.7 Maxfor coding

The verdict

GPT-5.5 wins, 9190

Same 18 coding tasks, marked blind by three rival labs. GPT-5.5 took 9 tasks, Qwen3.7 Max took 3, 6 tied. Tested 16 Aug 2026.

Where they differed most

The task — Retry with backoff

Write an async retry wrapper in TypeScript: exponential backoff with jitter, a maximum attempt count, and it must NOT retry on 4xx responses other than 429. Maximum 30 lines. State what happens on the final failure.

```ts
type RetryOptions = { attempts?: number; baseMs?: number; maxMs?: number };

const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, ms));

const statusOf = (x: any): number | undefined =>
  typeof x?.status === "number" ? x.status :
  typeof x?.response?.status === "number" ? x.response.status :
  undefined;

const isNonRetryable4xx = (s?: number) =>
  s !== 429 && s !== undefined && s >= 400 && s < 500;

export async function retry<T>(
  fn: () => Promise<T>,
  { attempts = 5, baseMs = 200, maxMs = 5000 }: RetryOptions = {}
): Prom…
```typescript
async function retry<T>(fn: () => Promise<T>, maxAttempts: number): Promise<T> {
  let lastError: any;
  for (let i = 0; i < maxAttempts; i++) {
    try { return await fn(); }
    catch (e: any) {
      lastError = e;
      const s = e?.status ?? e?.response?.status;
      if (s >= 400 && s < 500 && s !== 429) throw e;
      if (i === maxAttempts - 1) break;
      const delay = Math.min(10000, 100 * 2 ** i * (0.5 + Math.random()));
      await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, delay));
    }
  }
  throw lastError;
}
```
**Final failu…

Task by task

TaskGPT-5.5Qwen3.7 Max
Duration parser810
Find the bug109
SQL without window functions109
Infinite useEffect1010
Typed debounce98
Leftmost binary search1010
Security review109
Safe migration98
Fix the code not the test99
Race condition109
Retry with backoff510
Recursive type109
Bash one-liner99
Explain and cost109
Regex with limits88
Callback to async910
Diagnose from a trace88
Idempotency98

Full receipts: GPT-5.5, Qwen3.7 Max · judges claude-sonnet-5, gemini-3.1-pro-preview, grok-4.5

Questions people ask

Which is better for coding: GPT-5.5 or Qwen3.7 Max?

GPT-5.5 — it scored 91/100 against 90/100 on our 18-task coding suite, winning 9 tasks to 3 with 6 tied. Every answer was marked blind by three judges from three rival AI labs.

How was this tested?

Both models answered the identical published coding tasks. Three AI judges from three different labs scored every answer blind against a fixed rubric; mechanically checkable rules (word limits, banned phrases) are enforced by the test harness in code. The raw outputs and judge verdicts are downloadable.

More coding head-to-heads: GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Luna · GPT-5.6 Luna vs Qwen3.7 Max · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol · GPT-5.6 Sol vs Qwen3.7 Max · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Terra · GPT-5.6 Terra vs Qwen3.7 Max

Full ranking: Best AI for coding · model pages: GPT-5.5, Qwen3.7 Max