4
Coding
Qwen coder models are widely used and available to self-host.
Qwen: what it is and what it is best at
Alibaba's broad model family, popular for multilingual work and open-weight releases.
The short version
At a glance
Made byAlibaba Cloud
CategoryModel makers
Strongest atcoding, image, audio & video, privacy & control
NameQwen comes from Tongyi Qianwen, Alibaba's name for its models, often rendered as 'a thousand questions'.
Overview
What Qwen is
Qwen is Alibaba Cloud's family of language, vision, audio and image models. It is one of the most widely adopted open-weight families, with sizes from small on-device models to very large hosted ones.
It is a common choice for multilingual products and for teams that want to fine-tune and host their own models.
Current models. Public reports describe Qwen3.8-Flash (open weights, August 2026) and a Qwen4 family previewed at Apsara in September 2026, with no release date.
Where it is strong
Capability profile
Scores are Halden’s editorial view of typical fit on a 0–5 scale. They are not benchmark results and will differ by task, model version and plan: test on your own work.
Coding, analytics, documents, research
How it performs by task
3
Analysis & analytics
Good reasoning variants; test with your data and prompts.
3
Documentation & writing
Strong multilingual drafting, especially Chinese and English.
3
Research
Capable with search tools; verify claims.
Practical tips
Get more from Qwen
- Pick the smallest model that meets quality needs: sizes range widely.
- Check each model's licence before commercial use.
- Use hosted APIs for speed, open weights for control.
Watch-outs
- Licences differ between models.
- Naming and generations move quickly.
What has changed recently
Latest news and releases
- Qwen3.8-Flash released with open weights
Bloomberg-reported release of a lower-priced Qwen model aimed at global adoption.
Source: Bloomberg Government - Qwen4 previewed at Apsara
Secondary reports say Alibaba showed a Qwen4 lineup with no release date or full specifications.
Source: Pasquale Pillitteri
Compiled on October 9, 2026 from public reporting, much of it secondary. Dates, names and specifications can change, so confirm on Qwen’s own site before you rely on them.
Go deeper
How-to guides for Qwen and similar tools
September 27, 2026 · 3 min readChoosing an open-weight model: DeepSeek, Qwen, Mistral and GLM comparedOpen-weight models let you host your own AI. Choosing between them is about licence, language, size, support and the evidence on your own tasks.September 28, 2026 · 3 min readRunning open models privately: a practical starter with OllamaWhen information cannot leave your machines, open models can run locally. Here is how to start without a big infrastructure project.September 16, 2026 · 3 min readHow to choose an AI assistant for your teamWith dozens of assistants available, the right choice is the one that fits your work, your information rules and your people. A structured trial beats a feature chart.
Keep exploring
Compare with other tools
FAQ
Qwen: common questions
Is Qwen open source?
Many Qwen models have open weights under their own licences, while the largest Max models are hosted.
What is Qwen good at?
Multilingual work, coding and a wide range of sizes.
Who makes Qwen?
Alibaba Cloud.
A next step
Choose tools on evidence from your own work.
Run a short pilot with the people who will use Qwen, measure the result, and decide with data, not hype.