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ChatGPT vs Qwen

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Both — ChatGPT has a free plan, Qwen is free to use
Public API
Both have one
Best fit
ChatGPT: General knowledge work, drafting, analysis and code across one interface · Qwen: Anyone wanting a free chatbot with no message cap
Platforms
ChatGPT: Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows · Qwen: Web, iOS, Android
Trust score
About even — ChatGPT 86, Qwen 90

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

ChatGPTGeneral assistant with tools, memory, files and voiceQwenAlibaba's free web and mobile AI chat assistant, with a separate metered API for developers.

Side by side

FactChatGPTQwen
CategoryGeneral-purpose AI ChatbotsGeneral-purpose AI Chatbots
Pricing modelFreemiumFree
Starts at$8/mo—
Public APIYesYes
Trust score86 / 10090 / 100
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, APIWeb, iOS, Android, API
CompanyOpenAIAlibaba Cloud
Launched20222023
Last verifiedOct 16, 2026Oct 15, 2026

What our research says

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the default general assistant and the one everyone else is measured against, but the tier you need is rarely the one you first buy. Free is now ad-supported, and the jump to genuinely unlimited reasoning is steep.

Pros

  • Broadest tool surface of any consumer assistant: browsing, code, images, voice, connectors
  • The $8 Go tier closed the gap between free and a $20 commitment
  • Apps on every desktop and mobile platform, not just a web wrapper
  • Model quality is consistently at or near the front of the field

Cons

  • Advertising now appears on the free and Go tiers
  • Message and reasoning limits are opaque and change without notice
  • Tier structure has churned repeatedly, so any price you quote ages fast
  • The API is a separate purchase, which surprises buyers who assume Plus includes it

Qwen

Qwen is a solid free daily-driver chatbot backed by a large, frequently updated model family, and the same models are available to self-host since several sizes ship open-weight. The chat product's polish trails ChatGPT or Gemini in the English-speaking market, and account creation nudges toward a phone number or Alibaba-linked login.

Pros

  • Free consumer chat and mobile apps with no visible message limit
  • Open-weight model releases available for self-hosting, not just API access
  • Multimodal chat handles file uploads and image generation in the same thread
  • Per-token API pricing is inexpensive next to comparable Western models

Cons

  • English-language polish and plugin ecosystem lag the top US chat products
  • Signing up leans on a phone number or Alibaba account

Which one fits

Choose ChatGPT if you need

  • General knowledge work, drafting, analysis and code across one interface
  • Anyone who wants file, image, voice and browsing input without assembling tools
  • Teams that need admin controls and data-retention terms via Business or Enterprise
  • Light users who want more headroom than free without paying $20

Choose Qwen if you need

  • Anyone wanting a free chatbot with no message cap
  • Developers who want to self-host an open-weight model instead of only calling an API
  • Users comfortable with a Chinese-company-operated service

ChatGPT vs Qwen: the questions people ask

Is ChatGPT cheaper than Qwen?

Qwen is free to use; ChatGPT starts at $8/mo.

Does ChatGPT or Qwen have a free tier?

Both: ChatGPT has a free tier, and Qwen is free to use.

Which has a public API, ChatGPT or Qwen?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

More comparisons

All ChatGPT alternatives →All Qwen alternatives →Browse all General-purpose AI Chatbots →